Mercs and Heroes
by Tru Sigheart
Summary: To win a war, you need men, something Overwatch has run out of. With many global terrors on the rise, they must resort to bringing soldiers from the past to their era. A group of 9 red clad mercenaries were selected to be abducted and brought into Overwatch's time. Watch as the mercs of the bygone bond with the heroes of the future to fight off evil once and for all.
1. Chapter 1: Heroes of the Old

**Chapter 1: Heroes of the Old**

"Everyone, we need to face the truth: Overwatch needs more heroes." Winston looked around the table. Six Overwatch operatives looked back at him, a slew of empty seats in between each of them. "Just look at this dismal excuse for a meeting! Six operatives! That's all we can spare! The others are off fighting in god knows where, risking their lives for the world's most understaffed and overworked peacekeeping agency!" Winston stated firmly. Pharah stood up valiantly.

"Well, we will just have to look for more! There must be more heroes in this world!" Pharah exclaimed. "There must be someone who won't stand idly by while evil roams the Earth!" Mercy shook her head from across the table.

"Recruitment is at an all time low, even vhen compared to rates recorded back before Overvatch's downfall. Heroes don't just emerge from novhere." Mercy sighed, a dejected look on her face. "Zhey're a valuable resource in zhis vorld, after all." Torbjorn stood up on his chair and cleared his throat.

"I think that we should ask the governments of the world for more manpower." He suggested. "Overwatch is going to have to go public eventually. Why not go public in our most desperate hour?"

"Psh! And I thought I was the crazy bloke 'ere!" Junkrat slouched in his seat, tossing one of his bombs in the air in a casual manner. "From what I understand, Overwatch ain't too popular with everyone else. If we go bloody public with this, then I'm afraid that Jack would have another buncha angry protesters on his hands!" Junkrat caught his bomb and hitched it back onto his belt, eyeing Soldier 76 from across the table.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Junkrat's right. Going public with Overwatch after being back in business for only a few months is very risky." Soldier 76 muttered. "It's starting to look like that our world has run out of heroes…"

"That's true, but that doesn't put an end to this" Tracer exclaimed with a sly smirk on her face. She sat cross-legged in her seat next to Winston..

"What are you talking about?" Torbjorn asked. Tracer looked at Winston and gently nudged his arm.

"Should we tell the the plan?" Winston smiled and nodded. Tracer looked back at the rest of the Overwatch operatives with a whimsical look in her eyes. "Alright loves. Feast your eyes!" Tracer pulled a thick wad of documents out of her jacket and slammed them onto the table. Like a poker dealer, she split the large wad into nine parts, all with varying thicknesses. Each part was labeled with a name, none of which the Overwatch team had ever seen before. "Alright loves. You wanted manpower? You've got it." Tracer pulled out the first group of documents and started reading it out loud.

"This guy is known as Scout. Comes from a family of 10 in Boston, Massachusetts. Able to easily run speeds as fast as 27 km/h. He is a shotgun enthusiast and has also achieved the double jump WITHOUT cybernetic implants or augmentations."

"This is the Soldier. He comes from somewhere in the USA, although he had never said where. His expertise in anti-personnel rockets is unrivaled, even learning a death-defying maneuver called a 'Rocket Jump', granting him unrivaled mobility."

"The Pyro is a complete mystery. Nobody knows who it is or what it is. All we know is that it is a complete monster on the battlefield, leaving behind only charred corpses and fiery desolation."

"Tavish Finnegan Degroot, also known as the Demoman. A black, scottish, drunken cyclops who specializes in explosives, creating his own bombs. His explosives come in the form of grenades and stickybombs. He also owns an ancient ghost sword that can steal souls." Tracer looked up from the document. "Yeah. I'm serious." She cleared her throat and continued.

"Mikhail Koscatovil, otherwise known as the Heavy. The very definition of a one man army. He is a Russian powerhouse, mowing down enemies with his minigun, all while tanking multiple wounds. As a side effect of carrying so much gear, he is fairly slow on the battlefield."

"Dell Conagher-" Torbjorn and Soldier 76 started to squirm in their chairs, catching Tracer's eye. "Somethin' wrong loves?" The two of them shook their heads hastily. "Okay… anyways, Dell Conagher is a combat Engineer from Bee Cave, Texas. His Sentry Guns are a nightmare to deal with on the battlefield. His Dispensers and Teleporters are a vital asset to any team."

"The Medic is a doctor hailing from Rottenburg, Germany. His medigun is the definition of modern science, able to seal any wound in seconds and even buffing up its target to up to 150% of their regular health. His trademark 'Übercharge' can render a target invulnerable for several seconds."

"The Sniper. Guess what he does. As a New Zealander raised as an Australian, he has decades of hunting experience, making him a true crackshot on the battlefield. No matter how far the enemy is, Sniper will put a bullet in his skull."

"Finally, we have the Spy. The only things we know about him is that he's a Frenchman who specialized in infiltration and sabotage. He can take the form of almost anyone with his disguise kit and can turn fully invisible with his watch."

"GIMME THAT FILE WITH THE BLACK SCOTTISH DRUNK CYCLOPS!" Junkrat leapt forward with a giddy expression on his face. He grabbed Demoman's documents and poured through them like a child with a comic book. His eyes carefully scanned the numerous blueprints for explosives and other gadgets. "Wha…?" Junkrat's giddy smile slipped off his face. The designs were nothing like he'd ever seen before. Retro, old fashioned, yet so meticulously engineered that they work like a charm, according to the pictures of destroyed buildings included within the document.

"Junkrat! Give that back!" Winston roared. "Act with a bit of maturity!" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Mercy with Medic's document in her hands. She flipped through Medic's medigun blueprints with interest. However, her gaze suddenly fell upon a picture of Medic's face. Mercy felt her face turn red as an unexplainable feeling suddenly washed through her. She couldn't take her eyes off Medic's photo.

"Come on Mercy! Set an example or something!" Pharah scolded. "Everyone! Give the files back right now!" Suddenly, she noticed Soldier 76 and Torbjorn pouring over Engineer's file. She sighed. "Not you two…" Soldier 76 and Torbjorn exchanged excited whispers as the two of them flipped through page after page of information.

"ROOOAARR!"

Winston stood on top of the table in his rage form, pulling everyone's attention away from the files. "PUT THE FILES BACK NOW!" Everyone with a file swiftly put them all back into a nice, orderly pile. Winston reverted back to his original form, clearing his throat. "Excuse me for that, but we still have more things to discuss about these men."

"What are we waiting for?" Pharah asked bluntly. "These are exactly the kind of soldiers we need! All nine of them together seems like an unstoppable team with no discernable flaws!" Winston shook his head.

"The problem is that they currently do not exist." Perplexed expressions appeared on everyone's faces. Winston pushed up his glasses and folded his hands in front of him. "These files date all the way back to the 1960's, more than two centuries from now. Everyone on this list is dead...as far as we know." Winston was met with silence across the room as everyone tried to process what they just heard.

"Why bring up dead soldiers? What are you trying, Winston?" Torbjorn asked impatiently. Winston looked at Tracer.

"C'mon loves. Follow me." Tracer said as she blinked to the meeting hall's exit. Everyone got up and started following Tracer as she lead them towards the hangar. After a few minutes of walking, they were there, standing before an enormous tarp. Winston lumbered towards a nearby button.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…" Winston gave the button a firm press, causing the tarp to drop. "...the Slipstream 2.0!" A giant, chrome-colored, transport was revealed behind the tarp. Everyone stared at it with marvel. "Tracer and I have been working on this for the past few months, improving on the original Slipstream's design." Mercy stepped forwards all of a sudden.

"I see vhere zhis is going." She said accusingly. "You're going to time travel to zhe past to bring zhose men here." Winston nodded. "Have you even considered zhe consequences of tampering vith zhe space-time continuum? If you bring zhose men here and one of zhem ends up dying, zhe consequences vould be-"

"Do you have any better ideas?" Winston rebutted, cutting Mercy off. "If we do not recruit someone now, we will surely be destroyed, along with many innocent lives." Mercy opened her mouth to protest, but shut it after.

"Winston, I have to side with Mercy here, but for a different reason." Soldier 76 piped up. "You wanna know why Torbjorn and I are so interested in Engineer's profile?" Soldier 76 walked up to Winston. "He's the founder of Overwatch." Gasps rang out. Winston's eye widened in surprise."It's true. I worked with Dell Conagher in Overwatch's earliest days before he handed the leadership to me. If we bring him here and he gets killed, then Overwatch would have never existed." Winston was left dumbfounded.

"Wh-what? How come I've never heard of this 'Dell Conagher' figure before?" He asked. Torbjorn sighed.

"They eventually found out about Mr. Conagher's past as a violent mercenary who helped fuel the infamous century-spanning Gravel wars. After that, he was shunned by the very organization he founded. Once he left, Overwatch, despite Jack's orders, deleted all files about Dell Conagher's time as director just to spite him." Torbjorn explained solemnly.

"Hold on mate." Junkrat chimed in. "You're sayin' that this bloke's Overwatch's original leader? Don't you think that him being here along with the rest of his crew would be a real asset? I mean, we have the person who bloody created this organization! Don't you think that he and all of his friends of all people would know how to help us?" Junkrat looked around the table to see several people agreeing with him, including Tracer and Winston. Mercy, Soldier 76, and Torbjorn all sighed.

"I cannot argue with a majority vote. I also must admit, getting to see Mr. Conagher again would truly be a wonder." Torbjorn stated. Reluctantly, the three of them agreed with the rest of the group. Winston smiled.

"Great! Now that we are all in agreement, initiate operation 'Old Heroes'!" Winston looked over to Tracer, who smiled and instantly blinked away. A few moments later, she blinked back to the hangar clad in her old Slipstream outfit.

"I haven't worn this for a while now…" Tracer recalled. She took a deep breath. "This thing better not put me into that bloody time-limbo again." Winston shook his head.

"I promise you that this version of the Slipstream is completely improved! Besides, you played a part in the designing of this Slipstream model, so you of all people should know its weaknesses and strengths!" Tracer sighed nodded, a flicker of doubt still in her mind. She pressed a button on the side of the Slipstream 2.0 and boarded it with vigour. She waved goodbye to the rest of the operatives as the door closed. Tracer took a deep breath. This was it. She quickly opened a hidden compartment under a seat and took out Ana's sleep dart gun. She had smuggled this aboard days ago. She knows who these mercenaries are. They sounded like respectable warriors on the surface, but once you spend days reading their files and researching them, you see them in a whole new light. A womanizer, a war criminal, a psychopath, a violent drunk, a fat maniac, a dangerous inventor, a mad doctor, a crazy ocker, and a cold murderer. No way was she going to be able to tell them to come quietly. No. Tracer hitched Ana's sleep dart gun to her side.

They were coming with her whether they want to or not.


	2. Chapter 2: Abduction

**Chapter 2: Abduction**

"How many times do I have to repeat myself!? This is my weekend off and I intend to spend it with some degree of pleasure!" Spy stood beside his red Porsche, seething with annoyance. It was Friday night at the RED base. The sun had just gone down. The entire RED team have been given a weekend off. Spy turned around and slung his jacket over his shoulder. "I am not a babysitter. Find someone else to 'help you pass the time'."

"That is ten pounds of crap coming out of your mouth!" Soldier barked angrily. "There are no such things as 'days off' for duty bound, war-torn men like us!" Spy rolled his eyes, further aggravating Soldier.

"I am leaving now. See you in three days, Soldier." Spy said dismissively. He got into his car and slammed the door shut. With a screech of its tires, the car immediately took off down the dusty road, leaving Soldier in a cloud of dust.

"Judas!" He yelled into the barren distance, watching Spy's car drive into the horizon. Soldier sighed. The entire RED team was off doing something with their weekend off. Scout, Heavy, and Demoman were all visiting their families, Sniper was busy taking Engineer on his first expedition into the Australian Outback, Spy had just left for his private island, Medic was flying to Galapagos Island to refill his medicine cabinet, and Pyro…it was still sitting around on the RED base's porch, reading a magazine and flicking a lighter on and off. Soldier glanced at Pyro. It looked up from its magazine and gave a friendly wave.

Soldier groaned. No way was he going to interact with that thing for three days. He grudgingly trudged back into the RED Base and made his way to the armory. If he couldn't relax, he'll just train instead.

Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound caught Soldier's attention. The sound got louder and louder until it was sending a tremor throughout the entire base. Soldier gasped and grabbed his rocket launcher in a hurry. "No doubt about it! Those sissified BLU maggots are taking advantage of my team's laziness and launching an attack!" He thought to himself. With his rocket launcher shouldered, Soldier hustled towards the base's communication room. Once he arrived, he wasted no time sending a distress signal to the rest of the team.

 ***pew!**

Soldier suddenly felt weak. He could feel the strength draining from his body as his vision blurred. "C-come out and fight me like a man…" he slurred before falling to the ground, passed out. The unknown assailant dragged his body outside and dumped it into her vessel, along with Pyro's body, whom she had tranquilized earlier. She blinked into the cockpit and set off for her next targets.

* * *

"Hey hey, Ma! I'm home! Got any of your famous chicken pot pie for ya favorite son?" Scout rowdily burst into his mother's apartment in Boston.

"Dere's my little wind-spinter! C'mere! Give yer mother a hug!" She greeted. The two shared a short embrace. "So, how's da job treatin' ya?" Scout's mother asked eagerly. Scout chuckled.

"Still the fastest one on da team! I make sure the others don't forget it, either!" He boasted. Scout's mother smiled proudly.

"Dat's my boy! Always puttin' himself out dere!" She encouraged. Suddenly, her expression turned serious. She leaned in close to Scout's ear. "By the way… how's he doing?" Scout grumbled in annoyance.

"Way ta kill the mood, Ma. You know I hate it when we talk about Spy. Why are you so worked up over how that snake's doin' in th' first place?" He asked. Scout's mother smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, munchkins… It's just that Chav- I mean, Spy... he's done a real solid for me back in the day… I just wanna… make sure he's still alive. That's it." She admitted quietly. Scout sighed.

"He's doin' fine, but there's been tons of times where I just wanna beat his perfect little teeth in…"

"Don't say that, honeybunches. The man's more important to me than y'know." Suddenly, a beeping noise rang out from a radio on Scout's belt. He unhitched it and plugged his earpiece in.

"CODE BLU. CODE BLU. CODE BLU." The automated message repeated. Scout gasped. He quickly put the radio back onto his belt and grabbed his bag in a hurry.

"Jeremy? Where are you goin'?" Scout's mom asked. Scout looked back at her with a sorry look.

"Look Ma, I know I just got back, but the BLU team's ransackin' our base!" He grabbed his bat and strapped his across his back. He looked back again at his mother's disappointed expression, making him sigh. "Don't worry. I've got the fastest pair of feet in da world! I'll do those BLU guys in and make it back in time for chicken pot pie, ok?" He comforted. Scout's mother smiled a bit.

"I'll have dinner waitin' when you get back." Scout chuckled. He gave his mother one last hug. "Come back to your mother in one piece, ok?" She requested. Scout gave her a silent nod in response before walking back out the door.

* * *

It was sunset at the RED base. Five of the nine mercs stood just outside of the entrance, looking rather confused. "Hey fellas!" Engineer called out. "I've finally gotten word from Scout and Spy! They say that they're almost here!"

"Ach, well that's a relief." Demoman responded. "I guess that just leaves Soldier and Pyro ta worry about."

"Please, you zhink eizher of zhem left?" Medic asked. "Zhe distress signal vas sent by Soldier, vhich confirms zhat he vas still around."

"Yeah… Also, the mumblin' freak can't really drive or legally get on a public airliner, so unless any of us made th' bright idea of takin' him with them, he probably stayed as well." Sniper pointed out.

"I have spent whole day searching entire base. They are nowhere." Heavy added. "Base is in good condition as well, which means there was no attack."

"Good point, mate…" Sniper mumbled. "Well, I guess they're hostages now. Those bloody cowards..."

"Eh hey, guys!" Scout's voice rang out from the distance, catching everyone's attention. "Wow! I guess you fellahs cleaned 'em up before I got here! Well, it's only-"

 ***pew!**

Scout abruptly stopped in his tracks. He stumbled around dizzily and fell to the ground, catching the rest of the team by surprise. They all raised their weapons, scanning the area for the assailant. Suddenly, a light blue streak of light zipped next to Scout's body, picked him up, and darted away.

"Sweet molasses! What in tarnation was that!?" Engineer gawked. Within moments, the light blue streak zipped back into view and quickly fired her dart gun, managing to hit Heavy in the arm.

"Heavy!" Medic cried out. The streak of light darted into the middle of the group and flashed away with Heavy's limp body before he even hit the ground. "Everyone spread out! Make it hard for it to hit us!" Medic ordered.

"Stall that thing long enough for me to get a sentry up! That blur's no match for its aimbot!" Engineer yelled. The rest of the team nodded before running in separate directions. Engineer quickly pulled out his construction PDA and got to work.

It wasn't long until Sniper's hawk-like perception managed to spot the blue streak coming his way. He swiftly turned around, cocked his rifle's bolt, and started firing. The streak started to dart around haphazardly, trying to dodge the high calibre bullets. Suddenly, the streak of light started to slow down, growing dimmer by the moment. Sniper saw this and focused, watching the streak become slower and slower until finally, he could see a woman emerge from the light. She burst into a panic and started fidgeting with some sort of reactor on her chestpiece in a hurry. Sniper smirked. He snapped his aim onto the woman's head and fired.

However, the woman managed to get her chestpiece working again in the nick of time, letting her zip away just before the bullet hit. Sniper was caught by surprise at this maneuver, allowing the woman to blink right up to him and put a dart into his shoulder. Wasting no time, the woman picked Sniper's body up and zipped back to her jet, dumping him in with the others.

"Stop right there, ya wee lassie!" The woman's eyes widened. She looked down, noticing the carpet of stickybombs at her feet. She turned around, seeing Demoman with a triumphant grin on his face. "Unless you wanna be buried in a soup can, ye best start talkin'!"

"Yes! Ve got her!" Medic had just caught up with Demoman. He stopped, noticing the woman's strange jet. "Fascinating! Zhis jet looks like somezhing from zhe future!" He marveled at the jet for a bit before shifting his focus back to the woman. "Alright! Who are you and vhy are you vorking for zhe BLU team!?" Medic demanded. The woman responded with a smirk, and suddenly disappeared in a flash of blue light. Demoman and Medic startled and looked around desperately for the woman.

"Boo." A feminine voice rang out from behind them. Before they could even yell, the two of them both received a dart to the back, knocking them out cold. She sighed. There was still two more to take care of.

"Goddamnit! Is anyone out there? I've got the sentry up to level three! Everyone fall back!" Engineer cried desperately into his radio. He fiddled around with the frequency knob, but to no avail. He put his wrench away and took his shotgun out, his eyes darting back and forth in search of the familiar blue light. Suddenly, Engineer was swept off his feet by a powerful force. By the time he noticed what happened, he was 15 feet away from his sentry, which had a strange glowing device stuck onto it. After emitting a few short beeps, the device violently exploded, blasting his sentry to bits. Before Engineer could make a move, the woman had zipped right up to him, hugging him tightly.

"Cheers love." She said as she held her dart gun to Engineer's leg and shot. Before long, she had brought his unconscious body back to her aircraft and dumped it in with the rest of the team. She looked back up. One left.

"My my, you are truly a force to be reckoned with, madame." The woman turned around with her gun raised. To her surprise, no one was there. "Heh. I knew laying low would pay off." A suave voice rang out. The woman blinked away from her ship and scanned the area. "I saw everything. I know all your moves. I know all your weaknesses." The woman's head was darting left and right, panic slowly building up within her. Suddenly, she was hit by a revolver bullet in the back. She cried out in pain and instantly recalled, patching up the wound. She looked behind her to see Spy standing a fair distance back. She instinctively blinked right up to him to try and hit him with a dart, but the distance gave Spy enough time to cloak and run away. The woman seethed with annoyance.

"Fight me like a man, you bullock!" She yelled. Spy's chuckling filled the air.

"You're a Brit? And a rather attractive one at that! Well, if you weren't trying to abduct me, I would ask you out!" He teased. Spy decloaked far away from her where he shot at her once again, hitting her in the leg. The woman stumbled to the ground in pain, recalling again. She tried once again to blink up to Spy, but the distance made it too easy for Spy to escape. "Why do you like get up close with a ranged weapon?" Spy decloaked far away again. He crossed his arms confidently. "Go ahead! Shoot me with your gun!" The woman growled at Spy. She angrily raised the dart gun and shot. The dart soared through the air, landing several metres to Spy's left, making him laugh.

"Shut up!" The woman cried furiously. Spy quickly took his revolver out again and fired off a shot, hitting the woman square in the gut, making her recall again.

"Hah! I knew it! You're a terrible shot!" Spy exclaimed. "Letting me get this much distance is your downfall, ma cherie…" Aggravated, the woman tried to blink up to Spy again, only for the same results. This time, she was hit by a revolver bullet in the shoulder. Spy watched her recall once again. "You can seal your wounds, but you can't replenish the blood that has spilled to the ground!" The woman could only stare at Spy with fury now. It was true. She did feel weaker every time Spy shot her.

Suddenly, an idea came into her mind. She smirked triumphantly. It was risky, but it needed to be done. The woman dropped her dart gun and ripped her chestpiece off. All of a sudden, she vanished in a flicker of light. Spy's eyes widened. He didn't see her use this move before. He looked around, the confident look slipping off his face by the second. Suddenly, she materialized behind Spy with the dart gun in her hand. Without wasting a single second, she put a dart into his back, finally knocking him out cold. She had no time to celebrate her success, for she was flickering in and out of existence. With only moments to spare, she managed to reach her chestpiece in time and put it back on, returning her to normal. She let out a breath of relief.

"Holy crap...I think I just went to the dinosaur era!" She panted. Once she calmed down, she carried Spy's body back to her aircraft and dumped him in to join his team. She dusted her hands off. "Now that that's done with...time to go back." She said to herself. The woman hopped into the cockpit and prepared herself and the mercenaries for the long ride home. "Here's hoping, Winston…".


	3. Chapter 3: Reassignment

**Chapter 3: Reassignment**

Medic was the first to wake up, due to his somewhat heightened resistance to anesthetic drugs. He sat up groggily and examined his surroundings. He was in a clean, very futuristic looking cell. Everywhere he looked was colored either a shiny white, or a smooth orange. There was a white bed on one side, a white counter beside it, and a white marble toilet opposite of the cell door. "What kind of place is this?" He wondered to himself. Medic rubbed his eyes and stood up from the bed. No matter where he was, getting out of this cell was his first priority. He walked up to the door and examined it thoroughly, eventually concluding after several minutes that the lock was electromagnetic and the hinges were welded on. "ENGINEER!" Medic yelled out. "ENGINEER! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Medic listened for an answer.

"Doc?!" Medic quickly rushed to the left wall of his cell and pressed his face up to it.

"Engineer! Zhe doors are locked vith a classic lock-and-key system! Can you get out?!" Medic shouted.

"Don't worry! I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve! You try to get the rest of the team's attention! I think we're all being held at the same place!" Engineer then went silent as he got to work.

"DOCTOR?!" Medic heard Heavy from the right side of his cell. "Doctor! They took Sasha from me! I will squash them like the tiny baby cowards they are!" The sound of smashing came from Heavy's cell as he tried to bash down the door. Medic soon heard the doors on both sides of him open.

"Doc! Hold on!" Engineer shouted. He was holding a small, golden key in his hand, which he used to unlock Medic's cell door.

"Is zhat...Australium?" Medic asked. Engineer nodded proudly.

"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag. Y'know my robot hand? It's got an Australium storage compartment right on the wrist. Havin' a metal that can transform into any shape with you at all times can really save your behind!" He explained.

"Yes, but we must not waste any more time." Heavy said gruffly. "I am sure that there are prison guards here. Without guns, we stand no chance. We must move and find our comrades." The other two nodded in agreement.

"Alright zhen! Heavy, if you please…" Medic said, gesturing for Heavy to lead the way.

* * *

"Wake up, you two." Scout and Pyro both slowly regained consciousness. They opened their eyes and saw Spy standing over them. The three of them were in a secluded storage closet of some sort, which housed a variety of generic janitorial equipment. Scout sat up and rubbed his head.

"Aw man...Spy, where are we?" He asked. Pyro sat up as well, looking around curiously.

"To tell you the truth, I am not sure either… This base is unlike any other I've seen." Spy responded quietly. "All I know is that I woke up in a blindingly white and orange cell. I managed to escape thanks to the miniature lockpicks I keep hidden in my teeth, which I used to break you two out as well." Scout's eyes widened in shock.

"Did...did day take our guns as well?" He stammered. Spy nodded dejectedly. "Aw jeez! We've got no guns, no clue where we are, and no clue where the rest of the gang is either! What are we gonna do? What are we gonna-"

Pyro turned around and slapped its hand on Scout's mouth, silencing him. "Thank you." Spy said. He let out a sigh. "Just calm down now, Scout. Even if it is a lost cause, the three of us can still at least make an effort to do something productive." Spy reached for a mop nearby and handed it over to Scout. Next, he grabbed a futuristic-looking fire extinguisher and gave it to Pyro, who looked at it with confusion. Finally, he armed himself with a nearby crowbar. "We will have to work with makeshift weaponry for now." He stood up valiantly, a steady look in his eyes.

"So dat's the plan, huh? The three of us are gonna run this base down with a mop, a fire extinguisher, and a crowbar?" He asked, a smirk forming on his face. "I like it. Let's do dis."

"Huddah huddah huh!" Pyro yelled out, holding his fire extinguisher up.

"Gentlemen, this is our finest hour!" Spy declared. He held his crowbar up. "Follow my lead. We will attack the first group of guards we see and take their weapons! From there, the three of us will raise hell on this defunct facility!"

"Huh, so we're actually doin' dis? I thought you were more or a 'sneak around and take things real slow' kinda guy?" Scout asked. Spy looked at him, peeved.

"These idiots decided to interrupt my weekend island getaway by kidnapping my colleagues, which is something I cannot forgive." He snarled. "When your room in the RED base is next to Soldier's, you tend to value your time off a bit more." Scout chuckled.

"No wonder you look so pissed off all the time..." With that said, the trio kicked the door open and charged out with a loud battle cry. Luckily for them, a pair of guards were just passing through. Scout tripped them up with his mop, allowing Pyro and Spy to take each of them out with a blow to the head. The trio wasted no time looting the two guard's bodies.

"Hey, look at dis!" Scout held up one of the guard's pistol. The design was incredibly futuristic. "Man, this tech is outta dis world! Reminds me of the time we fought dose aliens!" Pyro took a few strangely shaped grenades and strapped them to its chest, along with one of the guard's shotgun.

"Indeed…" Spy muttered. He took the other guard's futuristic looking SMG, along with tossing Scout a second pistol. "It seems like these men do not have anything to do with-" Spy's words suddenly faded away. A look of wide-eyed panic suddenly spread across his face. He knelt down, holding his chest in pain.

"Spy!" Scout and Pyro rushed to his side. "Hey, Spy! You ok?" Spy could respond with nothing but shallow breaths. His breathing quickened as his eyes suddenly flashed red. Scout and Pyro jumped back, confused as to what was happening. After a short stint of silent gagging and red-tinged eyes, Spy's eyes returned to normal, along with his breathing and composure. He stood back up, looking just as calm as he did before.

"Sorry, gentlemen. My body must be suffering from some side-effects from the tranquilizer. Who knows what was in that thing?" Spy explained dismissively. "Anyways, it's nothing to worry about now. Come! We must find the others!" As he walked off, with Scout and Pyro shared glances of concern.

"Uh, I thought your plan was more along the lines of 'shoot first, do everythin' else later'?" Scout questioned. Spy looked at him irksomely.

"Do you honestly think I would rush to brute force like that? The tranquilizer was simply… clouding my judgement earlier." He explained calmly. "The correct course of action is to locate the others! Let's go." With doubt still resonating in their heads, Scout and Pyro reluctantly followed Spy down the hall, in search of the rest of their team.

* * *

Sniper peeked around the corner, his eyes scanning the area for guards. He gestured to Soldier and Demoman, who where both waiting behind him. "All clear. Let's move." He whispered. Demoman nodded and prepared to follow him down the hall.

"Negatory!" Soldier barked, making both Sniper and Demoman cringe.

"Shut up, ye bloody idiot!" Demoman hissed. Soldier looked back at him with cold, steely eyes.

"Any marine worth his stripes faces danger head on! I will not sneak around maggots I can mangle with by bare hands!" He shouted, causing Sniper and Demoman to shush him again.

"Well, if ye haven't realized it yet, Private Haircut: we don't have any bloody guns!" Demoman whispered firmly. "We're as vulnerable as wee kittens on a winter's eve!"

"Hah! You two are sounding more like civilians than respectable men of war!" He yelled. "I refuse to bend down to-"

"Mate." Sniper growled, getting up in Soldier's face. "You make one more sound, I'm gonna fashion a lampshade outta your skin."

"Hands on your head. Now." Sniper suddenly felt a gun's barrel tap against the back of his head. Without warning, Soldier pushed Sniper aside and leapt at the guard like a wild panther. He tackled him to the ground and quickly snapped his neck. He looked back at Sniper and Demoman. The two of them sighed.

"Fine. Gimme that bloke's pistol." Sniper muttered. Soldier smiled and tossed over the guard's sidearm. He handed Demoman the guard's grenades and took his assault rifle for himself.

"Alright, now we have weapons! Let's burn this place to the bloody ground!" Demoman roared. Sniper groaned.

"Come on! Don't tell me that I picked the lock on our cells with my toenail clippings just so we can muck about with..." His words faded away as Demoman and Soldier tuned him out with discussions of how they were going to destroy the base. "Ahh piss…" Sniper grumbled. He caught up to Demoman and Soldier. "So what's the plan, mates?" He asked.

"We'll do this just like how George Washington won the Revolutionary War!" Soldier declared.

"Good plan, mate. We could use guerilla tactics to make up for our poor numbers, just like the colonists did back in the day!" Soldier looked at Sniper with confusion.

"Did you ever take proper history classes, private? George would NOT use such cowardly tactics! He would get on his giant eagle and paradrop his men into the heart of London, where they threw boxes of tea at the King!" Soldier lectured sternly. "We will do the same, except instead of eagles, we will use our legs to travel! And instead of throwing tea at the King, we will throw a fist at any dumb sonofabitch who gets in our way!" Demoman and Sniper exchanged worried glances.

"Pst! Sniper!" Demoman whispered into Sniper's ear. "Let Soldier have his way. He can be the distraction! He gets their attention, and we pick off the poor bastards before they can react!" Sniper smirked.

"Yeah, that sounds good." He replied. The two of them shifted their attention back to Soldier, who was eagerly waiting to put his plan into motion.

"Alright Soldier! Lead the way!"

 **1 Hour Later…**

"Sir! Squadrons Five and Sixteen have gone dark!"

"Prison Block 2 is suffering intense structural damage!"

"The fire has spread into Prison block 4 and 5 with no signs of stopping!"

Despite the urgency these reports express, they are, in reality, being said with a tone of great pride and accomplishment. Soldier 76 and Winston were both overseeing a group of Overwatch soldiers keeping track of the massive prison outbreak.

"Look at this! In merely an hour, this group of nine managed to pass the test with flying colors!" Winston remarked. Soldier 76 nodded.

"They've broken every record set for this test. A group of ten usually takes around two to three hours to get half as far as this group has." He mused. Winston looked at him with a bit of concern.

"Should we call it a day, Jack?" He asked. After some consideration, Soldier 76 nodded.

"Yeah. I'll go and tell them." He said, walking towards the exit. "Let's hope they take this lightly… I'll be bring Reinhardt along with the rest of the eight candidates as well. I'll need him."

* * *

The base was in complete chaos. Dead guards littered the halls, their bodies burning in the rapidly spreading fires. All nine of the mercenaries had managed to reunite together, each using their stolen weapons in their own ways.

Scout chased fleeing and straggling guards down, shredding them with his dual pistols. Soldier made good use of the grenade launcher attachment underneath his assault rifle's barrel, mowing down groups of guards with deadly explosions. Pyro had raided the janitorial closet for flammable cleaning products, which he used alongside a box of matches to create toxic, multicolored fires. Demoman was busy setting various explosive traps out of the guard's grenades. Heavy was wielding dual assault rifles, laying down suppressive fire. Engineer was supplying Heavy with a makeshift dispenser he made out of wires and parts in the base's ceiling lights, along with all the ammo he could find. Medic was using a mixture of cleaning chemicals and Jarate to create his Medigun fluid, which he splashed onto any of his wounded teammates. Sniper was not only busy being Medic's Jarate dispenser, but also locking off the base's main hall with his pinpoint accuracy and a Desert Eagle. Spy had stolen a guard's uniform, which he used to both manipulate and assassinate any guards foolish enough to fall for his disguise.

In short, they were one unstoppable powerhouse of a team.

After a while, all nine mercenaries met at the exit of the burning base. All of the guards were either dead or trapped in the collapsing halls. The team looked at what they've done with pride. "Well, that's one hell of a way to start off the day." Engineer remarked jokingly. He turned around to face the rest of the team. "So! What do y'all reckon our next step to be?"

"Our top priority should be to get our bearings." Sniper suggested. "We don't know where we even bloody are, for god's sake."

"Aye! After that, we should try ta find a Mann Co. store. We can rearm there and call Hale, who can get us back to the Badlands!" Demoman listed. Engineer nodded in agreement. He turned to Spy.

"What about you, Spy? You're a smart guy. What do you think we should do?" He asked him.

"Everyone else seems to have the right mindset." Spy answered almost immediately, taking Engineer by surprise. "All I can say is that our plan can only proceed if we step out that door." He said, pointing at the main exit behind them.

"Those are… an oddly specific choice of words there, Spy." Engineer pointed out. "Nonetheless, you're still right. We ain't gettin' anything done sittin' on our asses." He walked over to the main exit and put a hand on the door's handle. "Let's go." With those words, Engineer pushed the door open.

"FREEZE!" A voice over a megaphone rang out. Light poured through the main exit, coming from helicopters flying above the crumbling base. A mob of armed soldiers surrounded the main exit, along with multiple gunships. The mercenaries stared at the spectacle in disbelief. Soldier suddenly rushed to the head of the team.

"Whoever you maggots are, you all better run while your legs are still attached to your body!" He shouted before brazenly firing a shell from his rifle's grenade launcher. However, just before the shell made impact, a hulking behemoth clad in shiny, futuristic armour cast had a brilliant shield of light in front of the troops, blocking the explosion.

"Stand down! We do not mean you harm!" A man emerged from the crowd, his face partially covered with a mask and visor, his hair grey. "As a matter of fact, we want to employ you!" The mercenaries perked up at the sound of that statement.

"Fellahs! The boss we've got right now pays us so much that we've all got it made!" Scout jeered loudly. "How could you guys-" Before he could finish speaking, the man grabbed a bulky case lying beside him, and tossed it through the shield at the team. The case hit the ground, bursting open in a shower of hundred dollar bills.

"This is how much we're willing to pay each of you every day." The voice stated. Scout took a glance at the cash. After a brief pause, he burst into laughter.

"Man, dat's not even close to what our boss pays us per kill!" He yelled out. "You're gonna have to try harder than dat!" The man smirked behind his mask.

"Fine. If the payment alone won't work, maybe an ultimatum will." He pulled out a small device and placed it on the ground in front of him. He pressed a button on the back of it and stepped back. A large hologram was projected out of the device, showing various pictures of futuristic cities and technology. The mercenaries stared up in awe.

"Large-scale hadron holo-projectors!? I've never even come close to perfecting that sorta tech!" Engineer thought to himself, astounded.

"You have all been abducted and brought 200 years into the future." The man explained bluntly as the projector continued on with its slideshow. "I work for a global peacekeeping organization called Overwatch. We have brought you all here to help us save the world. If you can do that, we will allow you to return to your current time. However, we do not want this sort of hostile tone to stick around. In exchange for your cooperation, we have prepared a gift from the future for each and every one of you." The man then gave a signal. Eight men and women stepped out from within the ranks of the troops, each one holding a case. These eight soldiers looked different from the other troops. Some of them were fully focused on the task at hand. Others, not as much.

"Woah there, just wait a minute, mate!" Sniper urged. "That was a whole bloody boatload of information you just dropped on us! 200 years in the future? Crikey!" Heavy stepped forward, arms crossed.

"I am more concerned about your threats." Heavy boomed. "What if we don't work with you? Will you kill us even after your friendship speech?" The man sighed.

"Look. The troops I brought with me are just to discourage you from fighting. The big armoured guy is only here to block any potshots you guys might throw at us. We're just here to pick you guys up from the test and get you acquainted with your new partners."

"Wait, test?" Scout blurted out. "You're sayin' that our awesome breakout was just a frickin' test?" The man nodded.

"Yes. The guards were just drones. We put every new recruit through this test, often in groups. Your team currently holds the fastest time for completion." The man confirmed. "Any more questions?" He looked around at the team's blank expressions. "Good." He motioned for the eight operatives to approach the mercenaries, presents in hand. Before long, the mercenaries and operatives started to mingle with each other, soothing the tension between them… a bit.

* * *

"Konichiwa, Scout. My name is Genji Shimada. I am looking forward to working with someone of your athletic capabilities."

"Yeah, yeah, ya bucket a' bolts. Gimme dat case."

"...I would prefer it if you would not act with such arrogance. Teamwork must be formed between u-"

"Holy crap! Dis bat looks outta this world!"

"Yes. That bat has been imbued with aim-assist technology. It will make sure that any projectile you send flying with it will hit its target."

"Heh, thanks for the bat. You future guys ain't so bad after all! All you'll need is some fancy-schmancy 'aim-assist' and you'll be right on my skill level!"

"Enough. I will not tolerate your snarky disposition."

"Yeah? Why don't ya say it to my face, tin man!"

* * *

"Greetings, Soldier! My name is Security Chief Fareeha Amari. I hope that my organization's brutish entrance won't disdain our future relationship."

"I don't know what your boss was thinking, sister, but I will not be shaken by threats coming from maggots like you!"

"Hmm, maybe you'll change your mind once I present you your new gift, sergeant."

"Hah! You think that some new… wait… sergeant?"

"Welcome to Overwatch, Sergeant Doe. Here are your stripes."

"I...I...I'm a real Sergeant now?"

"Yes sir!"

"Well...Wh-what do you mean I'm not joining!? You maggots will need someone like me to whip you into shape! Hoorah!"

* * *

"Hello Pyro! My name is Mei! You ready to come work with Overwatch and me? It's lots of fun!"

"Huddah huh huh! Hmph!"

"No need to get all grumpy with me, mister. I know! How about this?"

"Huh? Mpphl huh!"

"You like that lighter? It runs off boron instead of butane, so it make a pretty green flame!"

"...Ooh…"

"Glad to know you like it! So, how about coming with me now? We have lots of work to do!"

"...Uh huh."

"Great! I know we're gonna be best friends, Pyro!"

* * *

"Wotcher, Demo! The name's Jamison Fawkes! The others around 'ere call me Junkrat! I've gotta say, from what I've read on you, I'm impressed with your handiwork, mate!"

"You sound like a bit of a loose cannon compared to the rest of your kin. How do I know I can trust those maddened eyes of yours?"

"Look mate, we're one and the same! We're both unrecognized inventors of all things... explodey. Speakin' of which, feast yer eyes on this!"

"Oh me mother… a bottle of 1680 Degroot scrumpy?"

"Yessiree! Their first batch ever made!"

"...Ha! You're not so bad, laddy! My name's Tavish Finnegan Degroot. You can call me Demoman."

"Glad to make your acquaintance Demoman! As soon as we head back to base, I've got loads of explosives to share with you in my lab!"

* * *

"My name's Roadhog. Those guys told me to make friends with you."

"Really? You will find that it is not so easy to befriend man who your superiors threatened."

"Yeah, yeah. Just take this. It's some stupid rusty dog tags my boss found."

"...Oh… Father, Mother, Yana, Bronislava, Zhanna...and...little Zaryanova."

"Hmm?"

"These...these are their prisoner tags from our time in gulag… I've searched for them my whole life..."

"Why? They're just dog tags."

"No. Not just tags. On the back, there are the names of their handlers engraved. Thank you. I am now one step closer to avenging their suffering...and my father's death."

"So...I guess you're coming with us?"

"Yes. I will follow your organization's orders so I can return and destroy the men who tortured my family."

* * *

"Mister Cohnager! It's me! Torbjorn! You...you look so young!"

"Woah there, why are you talkin' to me like I'm an old friend of yours?"

"Sorry… it's just that, well, you are! You started this organization! You are it's founder!"

"...Excuse me?"

"Yes! In the future, you stood up for the world! You saved it from the brink of...You know what? Here, this will explain everything."

"My god...is this?"

"Yes! These are your old blueprints! There's one more thing as well. Turn the page!"

"Who's in this picture?"

"That's you! The people around you are the people you passed Overwatch on to! That's Jack, that's me, that's Ana, that's…"

* * *

"Erm...uhh…"

"Vell? Aren't you going to say anything, frauline?"

"H-hello. My name is A-Angela Ziegler… I'm a field medic, like y-you!"

"Ah! A fellow follower of zhe Hippocratic Suggestion! I am zhe Medic. I vould love to see your vork sometime, Angela!"

"Really? You vould?"

"Yes! Now, about zhe gift your superiors have made me?"

"Oh! Yes. I hope you like it…"

"Ooh! Vhat an oddly shaped package! I vonder… Archimedes! Oh mein gott! Archimedes! How did you bring my beloved bird into zhis era?"

"The person who abducted you...she brought your bird vith her. She meant no harm to it! I swear!"

"It's alright. Archimedes has endured a lot vorse!"

* * *

"Hey! Where's my bloody partner, mate?"

"Sorry, Sniper. The closest Sniper we have to match your skill level has taken a more...supportive role in recent years. We are working to find you a replacement."

"Well, do I at least get some fancy new nick-nack to play with?"

"Don't worry. Here, catch."

"Keys?"

"For your new camper van. We modeled it off of your old one, with some integration of newer tech."

"Oh. Whoopty stinkin' doo. A new car. Yay."

"Something the matter?"

"I thought I'd get something more meaningful, but whatever. I'll play along."

* * *

"Right, I guess now I've gotta work with the bloke who almost murdered me. The name's Lena Oxton, codename Tracer."

"Believe me when I say that you did not make it easy. I am the Spy, codename Spy."

"Sigh...here. The folks up at HQ wanted you to have this."

"Ahh, many thanks. I was worried that I might run out of cigarettes soon."

"Y'know, it really isn't healthy to be a smoker, but I guess that's a fact that people like you disregard."

"When you have a man who possesses a magical healing machine on your team, you tend to overlook the smaller hazards in life."

"Well...hard to argue against it if you put it that way."

"Indeed."

* * *

"Alright, I believe you are all now fully acquainted with your new partners." The man announced over the megaphone. "Now, time to choose. Will you accept our offer?" He asked, looking at each of the mercenaries.

"Yeah, sure."

"Yes sir!"

"Huddah!"

"Aye!"

"Da!"

"Why not?"

"Ja!"

"Fine."

"Of course!"

The man smiled. "Excellent! Now, my troops will escort you over to the carriers. We will be on our way to the Overwatch HQ. We have painstakingly collected every single one of your various firearms from the smallest knife to the biggest ghost sword and placed them in each of your according armouries."

"What about your name?" Heavy asked. The man looked back at him.

"Strike Commander Jack Morrison, at your service."


	4. Chapter 4: Polar Opposites

**Chapter 4: Polar Opposites**

The Overwatch HQ's training hall. One of the finest establishments in the world, used only by Overwatch's elite. Ever since the mercenaries had become registered Overwatch operatives two weeks ago, the training hall has been busier than ever. Mercenaries and Overwatch operatives trained in their respective groups of two, usually making the training hall a bustling place. However, there has been one pair that has been considerably less friendly to each other than the others. Despite Genji's best efforts to make peace with Scout, their training sessions almost always ended with them shouting at each other. No matter what Genji said, Scout would always reply either with silence or a snarky comeback of sorts, aggravating Genji further and further until the situation got out of hand.

Today's training session was no different. Scout was running on a treadmill playing his Tom Jones album on his boombox while Genji sat nearby, meditating. They were trying their best to ignore each other, knowing well what would happen if either of them said a thing. The loud music Scout was playing made it hard for Genji to focus.

"Scout. Turn your music down. I am trying to meditate." Genji requested. Scout looked over at Genji dully and turned up the volume on his boombox. Genji growled in anger. "I said...turn it DOWN!" He shouted.

"Here's an idea, smartypants. How's about you go somewhere else ta sit on your ass and do nothin'!" Scout shot back.

"You know that we are required to stay together during training sessions by the rules."

Scout reached for the volume knob on his speakers and turned the sound up even higher, drowning out Genji. Out of anger, Genji took out three shurikens and flung each of them at Scout's boombox, breaking it. Scout's eyes widened with rage.

"Hey! What was that for!?" He exclaimed.

"I have had enough of your incessant insults. I've put up with you for two weeks, and you have been nothing but a nuisance." Genji growled.

"Yeah? You wanna say that again, you robo-freak?" Scout approached Genji, who turned away. "Hey I'm talkin' to you ya dime a dozen scrap tin!" Genji had had enough. He quickly drew his shorter katana sword and lunged at Scout's arm. He dashed right past him and stopped a few feet away. He turned around, only to see that Scout hanging off a light fixture, a smug grin on his face. "Heh heh. You're not the only one with tricks 'round here, bolt bucket." Genji was at his boiling point. No way was he gonna get shown up by this man-child.

"Enough! If you truly are the man you speak of, then I hereby challenge you to a traditional kettō!" He shouted angrily.

"Kettle? What kettle?" Scout asked. Genji seethed with annoyance.

"Do not even think about disrespecting my culture like that! A kettō is a Japanese duel. No firearms allowed. It is about retaining honor and proving worthiness." Genji explained. "Also, do not take me as just an omnic. I was once human like you." Scout chuckled mischievously at Genji's .

"Yeah? An' didja get your parts at a junkyard?" He sneered. Scout could see Genji trembling with rage. He sighed and turned around, putting his hands behind his head cockily. "Fine, I'll play along. Just be ready for me ta kick your ass! Just gimme a time and a place, and I'll show up."

"Tomorrow at dawn. Melee weapons only. I will be waiting on the rooftops." With those spiteful words, Genji dashed away in a streak of green light.

"No problem, buddy! Just be sure ta bring your A-game! I wanna make dis as humiliatin' as possible!"

* * *

"Winston!" Soldier 76 yelled out, bursting into Winston's office.

"Ah, Jack. What seems to be the problem?" He asked calmly.

"Oh nothing, other than the fact that Scout and Genji have just challenged each other to a duel!" Winston perked up at the sound of the news. "We're only two weeks into our partnership with the mercenaries and we've already got infighting about to happen!" Winston held up a hand to silence Soldier 76.

"Jack, are you telling me that you didn't expect something like this to happen? I'm just surprised that an incident didn't occur sooner." He replied. Soldier 76 scowled in frustration.

"Well, are you just gonna let this play out? Should we stop the fight?" Winston shook his head.

"I would intervene if they were five year olds, but the two of them are grown men. Sometimes, you just have to let events take their course naturally. I'm sure that this duel is the first step to strengthening their bond as partners." He reasoned. Soldier 76 paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Winston, back when we had just finished re-initializing Overwatch, you would have none of this…what did you call it? 'Nonsensical conflict'. Hell, you didn't even let Mccree challenge Ana to a friendly shooting contest because it was 'against protocol'. What's with the 'laissez-faire' attitude now?" Winston suddenly looked a little uncomfortable.

"Well...you cannot expect me to use the same old protocols now that the ranks of Overwatch's elite has suddenly grown by nine members, can you? We just need to make sure that Scout and Genji don't kill each other, and all will be fine." He explained. Soldier 76 sighed.

"Sir, you've been acting really strange ever since these mercenaries showed up. Yesterday, no one could find you for a solid three hours, and when you came back, Athena suddenly went offline. You said you were-"

"...doing some deep closet cleaning, and I stand by that explanation. Athena will be down for the next week or so. I've found a major security glitch, which I was in the process of fixing when you barged in." Winston finished. He dismissively started typing on his computer again. "Alright, Jack. You have your orders. Let Scout and Genji's duel happen. Just make sure they don't do anything too serious to each other." Soldier 76 tried to complain, but just sighed instead.

"Rather out of character of you, Winston. Fine. I'll stop the fight the moment something looks off." He replied. Winston smiled.

"Good."

* * *

The Overwatch HQ had quieted down a lot by nightfall. Usually by this time, the training hall would be completely empty. Tonight however, Genji was staying overtime. He had spent the day honing his skills in preparation for the coming dawn.

"Hrrah!" He grunted, lunging at the training dummy with his shorter katana. He stopped before the dummy and unleashed a barrage of quick cuts, his arms moving at blindingly fast speeds. He then leapt back, the shuriken stores in his forearms opening up and dispensing three shurikens into each of his hands. He threw all six at once, all of them finding their mark on the dummy's body. Finally, Genji drew his longer katana and bent down. "Ryu jin no ke o kurae!" He shouted. A glowing, green dragon emerged from the katana's handle and wrapped itself around the blade. Genji leapt at the dummy, gripping his katana with both hands. He dashed past the dummy, slashing it clean in half as he passed.

"You are good with sword, robot." A deep, rumbling voice caught Genji's ear. He turned and saw Heavy standing at the training hall's entrance. "Do not mind me. I left my workout bag behind." He said. He started to slowly walk over to a large punching bag on the other side of the hall. Genji looked at him.

"Tell me, russian. Is Scout always such an annoyance?" He asked. Heavy chuckled in response.

"Is he causing trouble for you?" Genji nodded.

"In all my years of service, I have not met a single man more arrogant and irritating as him. How do you all manage to fight with this insolent brat?" He questioned. Heavy had reached the punching bag and retrieved his bag that was sitting beside it.

"You seem like a serious man, yes?" Genji was taken back a bit at Heavy's question.

"Yes. There is no room for tomfoolery in my line of work. Only honor and loyalty. Why do you ask?" He replied. Heavy smirked.

"There is your answer. Mercenaries do not fight for honor or loyalty. We fight to put bread on table. Scout is one of the most immature out of all of us, so it is only natural that you and him would not get along." He explained as he walked back to the training hall's doors. Genji paused as he broke down what Heavy just said. "I also heard about duel between you and Scout. Just be sure not to kill him. It may not seem like it, but Scout is someone you can trust with your life on the battlefield. Learn to accept his flaws, like the rest of my team has… well, maybe not Spy, but you know what I said." With those words, Heavy left, closing the doors behind him.

Genji was left dazed. He hadn't been this enlightened since his days with his old mentor, Zenyatta. He looked down at his katana, seeing his reflection on its blade. For a split second, he thought he could see his old human face; the facade he wore before he was left scarred and rebuilt as a cyborg by Mercy. If people like her could accept him for who he really was, then why can't he accept Scout for who he is? Why did he let his temper get the better of him and brazenly challenge Scout to a duel? Had he learned nothing from the people around him? Genji gritted his teeth in frustration. It didn't matter anymore. He had placed his honor on the line by invoking this duel, so he must see it through no matter what.

"No turning back…" He mumbled quietly. Genji refocused. His honor was more important than anything else. With that thought in mind, he quickly sheathed his larger katana and drew his shorter one. "Again…"

* * *

"Hey, room service? Can ya send up anotha' deep dish pizza, anotha' bucket a' fried chicken, a diet coke, some rum from th' bar, and..." Scout put his hand over the receiver of the phone. "Hey Sniper, what didja say you wanted again?" Scout, Sniper, and Demoman were all sitting in the operative's lounge, with "Francis the Talking France: The Francining 8" playing on the lounge's big screen TV.

"Erm, a burger with the works'll do." Sniper responded.

"Yeah, and a burger with da works. That's it for now." Scout repeated into the phone. He hung up and stretched lazily.

"I'd say Francis aged pretty bloody well for being on the telly for over two centuries." Demoman exclaimed. "Just look at the detail for his skin!"

"They've kept the stories as fresh as ever as well! I gotta say, I'm real impressed." Sniper remarked. He turned to Scout. "Thanks again for paying for the food, mate." Scout scoffed.

"C'mon, I'm paying 'cause I drew the short straw." He complained. "I mean, the money I got from my first mission a few days ago helps, but I'm still pissed!" Demoman chuckled.

"Quit yer yammerin', Scout. The important thing is that we've gotten our first day off since we landed in the future. Let's just sit back, and enjoy th' special effects in Francis's fight with Ronald th' Rumblin' Russia." Demoman said. The trio went quiet for a bit, watching Francis unload his baguette blaster into Ronald's bolstering, vodka soaked abs. After a few moments, Sniper piped up again.

"Scout, don't you have a fight to prepare for tomorrow or something?" He asked. Scout rolled his eyes.

"That robo-freak's got nothin' on me. Tomorrow mornin', I'm gonna kick his hard drive into next Tuesday." He replied. Sniper was a bit taken back at Scout's hostility.

"You… don't seem to like this bloke, do you?" Scout shook his head vigorously.

"If anyone can find a single humor processor in that tin can's bolt-filled head, it'll be the day pigs fly." Scout shot back. Demoman turned around.

"Scout. Y'know that's not the truth." He said. Scout suddenly tensed up, his cheeks turning red. "Don't think the rest of th' team hasn't noticed. Ever since we fought our first battle with Gray Mann's robots, you've changed, boyo." Scout continued to not make eye contact with neither Demoman or Sniper.

"I heard Medic complainin' about you shoutin' in your sleep. You've been havin' nightmares about the robots, aren't you?" Sniper asked. Scout's cheeks were growing redder by the second.

"Why do either of you guys care if I'm afraid of robots or not?" Scout muttered, trying to keep his embarrassment contained. "We're all trained killers here. We don't give a crap about anyone." Sniper looked a bit uneasy at Scout's remarks.

"Well, y'really can't expect the two of us to coddle you like a mother grizzly until you recover, so maybe you should go and get it checked out by a professional. For the sake of the team." Sniper suggested, patting Scout's shoulder.

"Hold on, if you're scared o' robots, why are you challengin' one to a duel?" Demoman asked. Scout kept looking to the floor, still embarrassed.

"I...I gotta prove to myself that I ain't scared of nothin'." He answered. "Besides…" His eyes lit up again. "...I know I ain't gonna be able ta work with this guy comfortably until I get over this fear. He suggested dueling, and I accepted."

"Well, if that's the case, why are you up here with me and Demo?" Sniper asked. Scout smirked, a glint in his eye.

"C'mon, gimme some credit. I wouldn't be sittin' up here all pampered if I couldn't take this fool." He replied confidently. "He's got some fancy tricks up his sleeve, but as long as he don't hit nothin', I'm golden." Scout leaned back onto the plush sofa. "Now, let's just all stop worryin' about this and watch some quality cinema, alright?"

 **The next morning…**

Genji stood on the edge of the Overwatch HQ rooftops, his arms crossed. He watched the golden sunrise over the bleak horizon. A mild breeze was making his cloth plume flutter in the wind, as the sun's first beams reflected off his chrome body. He gritted his teeth in annoyance. What was taking Scout so long? Genji had barely been able to sleep, due to spending most of the night training. Suddenly, he heard the door to the rooftops open and close. He sighed angrily. "You are late." He said. Scout approached Genji with an opened can of soda in one hand and his aim-assist bat in the other, chewing on a piece of gum.

"Damn! You're lookin' pretty frickin' edgy standin' like that on the edge of the roof. You tryna scare me?" He taunted, taking another sip of his soda. Genji glared at Scout menacingly. "Sorry about bein' late, by the way. Had to pick up a drink on the way here. I get real parched in the morning. Especially on Fridays for some reaso-"

"Enough." Genji growled. He turned around and pointed to the ground. "This entire rooftop will act as our dueling grounds. I trust that you at least have enough honor to not bring any firearms?" Scout nodded.

"I got nothin' with me but this bat and the clothes on my back." He said. "Alright, we done with th' formalities?" Scout said, spitting out his bubblegum. He held his bat up, causing Genji to draw his shorter katana.

"Yes. Let us begin." Genji walked cautiously towards Scout. "Hajime!" With that, the duel had started. Genji made the first move, dashing up to Scout and unleashing a flurry of quick swipes with his katana. To his surprise, Scout began to dodge each and every one of Genji's blows. He moved in a red blur, making it almost impossible for Genji to track his movements. Genji leapt away, astounded to what just happened. Scout stopped, a smug grin on his face.

"Man, I make it look easy!" He taunted. He shouldered his bat and tossed his empty soda can in the air. "Batter up!" He knocked the can into the air with his bat, sending it flying right at Genji's head. He raised his shorter katana and sliced the can in two. With a flick of his hand, Genji took out three shurikens and flung them at Scout, who managed to dodge every one of them. "Man, that's one hell of a pitchin' arm you got there!" Scout jeered. Genji growled and flung another trio of shurikens. This time, Scout raised his bat and swung at the shurikens as if they were baseballs, sending them flying back at Genji with deadly accuracy. With barely any time to spare, Genji deflected the shuriken into the floor, rendering them useless.

Genji pounced at Scout again. This time, instead of dodging, Scout raised his bat and swung, nailing him in the chin. Genji went flying backwards towards the edge of the roof. He managed to dig his shorter katana into the roof tiles at the last second, stopping him from falling over the edge. He rubbed his chin, feeling a large dent in it. Enraged, Genji leapt back to his feet, his hand on his larger katana.

"Time to end this." He thought to himself, drawing the blade. "Ryu jin no ke o kurae!" He roared. A green dragon emerged from the sword's hilt, running up and down the blade. Scout looked over at the spectacle in surprise. Genji stared back at him menacingly.

"Breakin' out th' big guns, huh?" Scout said, looking a little nervous. He had seen what Genji's Dragonblade could do during his first mission with him a week ago. Scout started backing up. "Luckily, I think I know how ta deal with that." With that, Scout turned around and bolted away, with Genji giving chase. Scout looked behind him. On foot, he is much faster than Genji is. With that thought in mind, Scout relaxed a bit. He turned around and started running backwards, still outpacing Genji. "What's th' matter, huh? Can't keep up?"

Genji's felt like his legs were burning. He had been pushing his cybernetic abilities too far, combined with not getting nearly enough sleep the night before, was really starting to catch up to him now. Yet still, he would not give up. Scout looked at Genji's legs with slight concern. Thin trails of white and green smoke started to billow out of his joints. Genji just now noticed the smoke. It didn't take long for the smoke to thicken into dense clouds. Finally, when Genji's joints started to glow red-hot, he saw that he had no other choice.

"I...I forfeit." He muttered. Scout head this and looked backwards, seeing Genji's defeated form. He smirked and strutted back to him.

"Yeah! Eat that you tin head! Ya bolt-eatin' bucket of-"

"Why do you hate me?" Genji asked. Scout paused. He remembered his talk he had with his fellow mercenaries last night. He looked down at Genji, who was waiting for a response.

"I...uh...you…"

"Is it because I am a cyborg? Is it because I am different? Just give me an answer. Please." Genji interrupted. Scout looked away uncomfortably, the feeling of pride within him rapidly fading away. He took a deep breath.

"Uh...It's...kinda complicated…" He stammered. "Anyways, y'put up a good fight, pally. You've… earned my respect. Y'know what? Let's just put this all behind us, and start over." Genji stared at Scout's welcoming expression blankly for a moment.

"You lie. You were hurling insults at me all throughout the fight. Whatever you claimed to have given me, it was not your respect." Genji spat back. Scout squirmed about, trying to put his thoughts into words. After a few uneasy moments, Scout sighed.

"Look man, you don't think I want to work with a frinkin' real life ninja? It's not you. It's just that… well…I'm…kinda scared of robots." He admitted shyly. Genji was taken by surprise by this. He thought it would be something much more complicated than a simple phobia.

"I...never would have guessed." Genji said. Scout looked away in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I ain't your average everyday phobia freak." He said. "Maybe it's a side-effect of spendin' so much time around trained killers, but when I'm scared a' somethin', I gotta show everyone else dat I ain't." Genji smiled behind his mask and weakly stood up, his joints still smoking a bit. He put a hand onto Scout's shoulder, making him shudder a bit.

"As it turned out, you are an honorable man. Even though your fears kept you shackled, you still fought me for the sake of proving to yourself that you can." Genji commended. Scout looked back at Genji and smiled.

"Thanks, Genji." He said. Genji gave Scout a congratulatory pat on the back before making their way towards the roof's maintenance shaft.

"By the way, I must know what sort of training did you undergo to allow you to move so quickly? You dodged my sword swings like they were not ever there!" Genji asked.

"Oh, that wasn't me. It was the soda I drank. Bonk Atomic Punch, do dey still have dat in the future?" Genji shook his head.

"I have never heard of it. What is in this agility enhancing concoction?"

"Oh, just some water, sugar, nuclear waste, a bit a' zinc for flavor, a sprinkle of molten salt for texture, and some ammonium chloride for a bit a' zing, all inside a lead-lined can." Genji looked as Scout in shock.

"What!? How does that work?" He asked. "More importantly, how are you not dead?"

"Simple! I had Medic pump my blood full a' lead and give me a quick zap with his Medigun before I passed out." Scout said lightheartedly while Genji listened in disbelief. "Now I ain't afraid a' radiation or lead poisoning! All it cost me was my ability ta read beyond a first grader's level." Genji chuckled.

"You are a most peculiar kind of person, Scout." He remarked. "Most peculiar indeed…"


	5. Chapter 5: Maggots!

**Chapter 5: Maggots!**

When Overwatch was first desperately created by the UN, it was just a small task force made up of the world's most skilled men and women. There was no room for anyone who wasn't the best of the best. After the Omnic Crisis was dealt with, Overwatch's influence and popularity skyrocketed. As a result, our rosters needed to be expanded. We started to recruit ordinary soldiers from the ranks of the world's armies, eventually amassing our own private military. Of course, after Overwatch disbanded, so did our forces, who were all sent back to their respective countries.

Nowadays, we are in a state of silent rebirth. Ever since Winston activated the Overwatch Recall, all of the elite operatives rapidly came out of hiding one by one. That, coupled with the recruitment of Junkrat and Roadhog, quickly brought Overwatch back to its feet. However, we are still restricted to our headquarters, unable to reclaim our now abandoned watchpoints scattered across the globe, due to a lack of manpower. The Overwatch private military was responsible for manning said watchpoints in the past, so their absence is a large impediment to our rebirth.

Through various secret deals with the UN, we have managed to convince them to allow us to start rebuilding our forces. Currently, we have received sixty-eight men, three attack helicopters, four transport helicopters, and codes to unfreeze Overwatch's financial assets in exchange for doing the UN's dirty work.

* * *

"This makes today extremely important, Soldier. At 1900 hours, Overwatch will receive its largest single shipment of freshly recruited privates from around the world, as a part of our recent deal with the UN." Pharah explained to Soldier, who was standing at attention across from her. The two of them were in one of the briefing rooms, where Pharah was filling Soldier in on his upcoming duties. "Tomorrow, a group of seventy five privates will arrive. You will act as the commanding sergeant for eight of them." Soldier clicked his heels and gave Pharah a salute.

"I will not let you down, ma'am! I will make sure my squadron of eight will learn the grueling ways of war! I will not let them rest until every single one of my men can kill a yeti with their bare hands!" He raved. Pharah smiled at Soldier's enthusiasm.

"Good. Judging from your demeanor, I assume you have plenty of past experience commanding a group of eight?" She asked.

"Yes, Ma'am! I am the glue of order that holds my ragtag team of REDs together! The president didn't award me these medals for no reason, after all." He barked, pointing at the various pieces of colored scrap metal pinned to his chest. "The Clear Anvil, the Mauve Hummingbird, the Yellowish-Off-White Cranberry of Honour, I've earned each and every one of these!" Pharah raised an eyebrow at Soldier's medals.

"Wow, we sure did come a long way in terms of service awards…" She commented. "Anyways, you have your orders, Soldier." Pharah said, returning Soldier's salute at last. "Dismissed!"

 **Three weeks ago…**

"Welcome to the Blast Pit, sergeant." Pharah said, leading Soldier into a large room. Platforms hovered above the sandy floor, which was dotted with sandbag barriers and pits to simulate the look of a battlefield as much as possible. Soldier gawked at the spectacle before him. "This is our section of the training hall, where we will sharpen our fighting skills and ballistics expertise." She explained.

"Dear god… Only America could make something as brilliant as this…" Soldier muttered. He turned to Pharah. "Security Chief Amari! Requesting your permission to start training ASAP!" Pharah politely shook her head.

"Not now, sergeant. We still have to go over the safety guidelines. Wouldn't want one of us getting hurt, right?" She said. Soldier looked at her blankly for a bit and burst out laughing.

"Ha ha! Good one, ma'am! As if elite soldiers like us are afraid of getting hurt!" He exclaimed, shouldering his rocket launcher. "Alright ma'am! Let's get training!"

"I'm not joking." Soldier looked back at Pharah, who now wore a much more serious expression. "I cannot let you do something so brash. You might get seriously injured." Her stare slowly turned into a threatening glare as Soldier remained motionless, looking confused. "Stand down, sergeant."

"Oh, I see! This is a test!" Soldier declared. "You are testing my manliness by making up ridiculous rules that pander to the weak!" Pharah was taken by surprise at what Soldier just said.

"What!? How is this a-"

"Don't worry, ma'am! I might have figured out your plan, but I'll still play along." Soldier reassured as he started to walk towards the Blast Pit. "See? Manliness retained! Now, let's stop fooling around and start trainin-" Suddenly, Pharah took aim and fired a concussive missile from her wrist launcher. Soldier saw this and, to Pharah's surprise, jumped on the spot. The concussive rocket exploded underneath Soldier's feet, sending him flying upwards towards a floating platform. Pharah looked up at him with brief bewilderment, then refocused.

"Sergeant, you are disobeying direct orders from your superiors. Come back down here before things get ugly." She shouted coldly.

"Aha! You've merged the test with our training session! Very clever, ma'am! Don't worry, I have taken the liberty to preload both of our rocket launchers with training-level concussive rockets instead of real ones before we got here, so we can shoot at each other all we want!" Pharah has had enough. She fired up her jump jets and flew at Soldier, shooting her harmless rockets at him. Soldier saw this, pointed his rocket launcher at his feet, and fired. In a split second, Soldier was already on another platform.

"This isn't a test, sergeant! Stand down!" Pharah ordered angrily. Suddenly, she was hit by a training rocket, blasting her to the ground. Soldier looked down at her coyly, smoke coming out of the end of his rocket launcher's barrel.

"Come on ma'am, you're gonna have to rocket jump faster than that to not qualify as a sitting duck!" Soldier berated. Pharah clenched her teeth in anger and stood back up. She raised her wrist and fired her concussive missile at Soldier's platform, rocking it and sending Soldier tumbling to the ground. She then fired up her jets and flew up. With one arm, she grabbed the back of Soldier's head and held it below her as the two of them started to fall.

"Raaah!" She yelled as she drove Soldier's head into the sandy terrain, burying him shoulder-deep upside-down. She suddenly realized what she just did and jumped in horror. "Oh my lord! Sergeant! Are you ok? Sergeant?" She sputtered. She quickly dashed to Soldier's side and started to dig his head back up in a panic. "Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod…" She muttered to herself. After loosening the dirt around Soldier's head, his body finally tipped over and fell to the ground. Soldier sluggishly sat back up, coughing.

"That's one hell of an arm you've got there, ma'am." Soldier remarked between coughs. Pharah sighed in relief, but then looked back at Soldier in disappointment.

"That wasn't a test, sergeant. We have rules around here for a reason." She explained. Soldier rubbed his head sheepishly.

"I still do not believe what I'm hearing. You're telling me that the world's deadliest men and women still have to worry about utter bullcrap like safety procedures?" He asked. Pharah nodded, making Soldier scoff.

"I don't want to hear any more complaints from you, sergeant. You've agreed to join up with us, so you follow our rules." Pharah scolded. "I'll let you off with a warning this time, but also because I already… drove your skull into the ground." Soldier sighed and got back up, immediately clicking his heels and standing back at attention.

"Thank you, ma'am!"

 **Three weeks later…**

"They're just behind this door. Good luck, sergeant." Pharah and Soldier were standing just outside of a room in the Overwatch HQ's troop barracks. The soldiers stationed here slept and trained in an area separate from the main building, where all the high-level operatives resides. Pharah waved goodbye to Soldier as she turned around to leave. "I'll be back in an hour or two to check up on your progress." Soldier gave her a salute before turning towards the barracks door. He pumped up his chest and abruptly kicked the door open.

"Atten-SHUN! Fall in, maggots!" He barked. Eight men of varying ethnicity immediately lined up orderly and stood at attention. Soldier stomped into the room, looking at the men with eyes of cold steel. "I am Sergeant Doe, but you hippies are gonna know me as your worst living nightmare!"

"Yes, sergeant!" The men chanted. Soldier turned to face them, a threatening expression on his face.

"Men, you are all raindrops of war that I will collect in my bucket of destruction! I will see that your sorry ass gets sorely beat by my American boot of justice on every mistake you make in the line of duty!" The eight men started to look a bit confused at Soldier's ramblings. "You are lean, you are mean, you are rough, you are tough, YOU WILL NOT EAT GREEN EGGS AND HAM! Do I make myself clear!?" Soldier stared at the bewildered men, waiting for an answer.

"Um...Yes, sergeant!" They responded, a bit less confidently this time.

"Good! Remember Shakespearicle's play, Hummus? No, Ham Shank? Uh...Hamloot! Yes... Hamloot? Well, I want you pansies to study up on that movie, because if I don't see you willing to hold off waves of enemy soldiers with nothing but a rubber band while stuffing your dead buddy's guts back down his mouth like Hamlat did in the movie, I will shove my boot so far up your ass that you'll get dirt in your nostrils! Am I understood!?" The men were now completely dumbfounded. Never had they met any sergeant spout such incomprehensible sayings. Soldier's glare fell onto a single private, who tried his best to keep his cool. Soldier stomped right up to him. "Private! What is your name!?" He barked.

"Private Fjordstein, sir!" The man responded in a swedish accent. Soldier's eyes narrowed as he leaned in closer to Fjordstein's face.

"Get that hippie-dippy Japanese accent out of here! This is America! We have no room for your tounge twisters, private-sama!" Soldier growled.

"Yes sir!" Fjordstein shouted, a bit of uncertainty in his voice. Soldier moved onto another private.

"Name, private! Now!" He ordered.

"Private Watkins, sir!" The man replied with a thick australian accent. Soldier's eyes widened.

"I know that accent from anywhere! German! I'll have you know that I've spent my years as cannon fodder killing each and every Nazi scum on this planet! Do not give me a reason to start again, maggot!" He barked. Soldier turned back around, leaving Watkins stumped as to what just happened. "Alright, muffin tops! Show-and-tell's over! I will lead you to the Training Grounds like how Washington lead his troops to King George's secret island volcano hideout! Move out!"

 **One hour later…**

Pharah was walking down the main access hall for the Training Grounds, looking down at her clipboard with satisfaction. She had been going around to every sergeant's squad and recording their progress. So far, she had observed every group in training except one, Soldier's. The results were looking very positive. All Soldier had to do was demonstrate decent commanding skills and her inspection would be a success. Suddenly, the sound of a trumpet caught Pharah's ear, making her look up from her papers. It was coming from Training Ground 2. She walked over and put her ear up to the gate.

"Come on, Private Reynolds! Ivanov isn't that heavy! His communist country probably doesn't let him eat very often! That's it! Back... back... over the shoulder... and blamo! Nice triple roundabout reversal, Reynolds!" Pharah couldn't believe what she was hearing. She quickly pressed a button beside the gate, unlocking it. She barged into the room, and saw a makeshift boxing ring made out of duct tape and metal poles, with Soldier and six of the eight men surrounding the ring. One man was standing above the other, both of them bruised.

"Sergeant!" She yelled out in anger, catching everyone's attention.

"Security Chief Amari! You showed up at the perfect time, ma'am!" Soldier exclaimed. "My men and I have spent our time setting up a boxing tourney! We ordered a cage online so we can move up to cage fights, but that's not going to arrive until a few days later!" Pharah was at a loss for words. While all the other sergeant's squads were doing orderly drills, this group was about to hold a cage fight. She looked over at Soldier's beat up men.

"I want this ring taken down. Now!" She yelled. The men leapt to their feet and quickly got to work. Pharah turned to Soldier, a scolding look in her eyes. "What is the meaning of this, sergeant? I trusted that you, being such an important member of your team of elite mercenaries, would set an example for the other men!" Soldier looked back at her with confusion.

"Ma'am, nothing toughens men up for the battlefield more than some brutal, man-to-man knuckle dusting. We're starting small, but eventually we'll work our way up to fighting grizzly bears!" He said proudly. Pharah sighed heavily.

"Soldier… remember the whole Blast Pit incident three weeks ago? Well, it would seem like you've learned nothing from that." She lectured. She then took out a page from her clipboard and gave it to Soldier. "This is the List of Overwatch-Approved Drills. From today onwards, if whatever rambunctious activities you have planned are not on this page, don't do it." Soldier opened his mouth to complain, but Pharah gave him a demeaning glare, shutting him down.

"Ugh...yes, ma'am." He grumbled. He took the page from her hands and read it over, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Running laps, push ups, shooting down a practice range… With all due respect, these are drills for a toddler, ma'am! Not men we are about to ship into the heat of battle!"

"Just... stop, sergeant." Pharah said, rubbing her temples. "Learn to follow orders, or lose your chance to be in the army." With that, Pharah turned her back to a discouraged Soldier and left in disappointment.

 **One month later…**

"This is Alpha Team. Come in Foxtrot."

"Foxtrot Team's ready to go. Whiskey team. Report."

"Whiskey Team's ready. What's your status, Zulu?"

"Zulu Team's lookin' healthy. ETA thirty seconds from Watchpoint Gibraltar."

Four transport helicopters flew silently through the night sky, each carrying a squad of eight soldiers and their respective sergeants. Winston had recently sent them on a mission to reclaim Overwatch's now abandoned outpost, Watchpoint Gibraltar. This would be their first step to recovering Overwatch's former glory. Over the last few weeks, Pharah had been monitoring each sergeant's group with diligence. Out of them all, three squads managed to stand out.

Sergeant Harrison's squad is unparalleled in physical strength.

Sergeant Miller's squad dominates the shooting range.

Security Chief Amari's squad's knowledge of battle tactics is unmatched.

Sergeant Doe's squad…is on base setup duty.

After a long, perilous trip across the Atlantic Ocean, the four transports were finally hovering above Watchpoint Gibraltar in the dead of night. The transports first scouted out the area, shining their spotlights down at the base to examine it. Surprisingly, the abandoned outpost was in fairly good condition.

"Something's not right…" Pharah mused. "This place should be a mess. Who has been keeping it tidy?" She pressed the button on her comms. "Squad, be advised. We might not be alone here." She warned.

"Should we still land at the designated area?" Sergeant Miller asked. Pharah pondered their situation for a moment.

"Yes. Just keep your guard up." She finally replied. With that, the four transports made their way over to Watchpoint Gibraltar's main courtyard. Several ropes unraveled to the ground from the transports, followed by armed soldiers sliding down with them. After a few moments, all four squads were on the ground, along with several crates of supplies, varying from ammunition and food to radios and tools.

"Man, did we need to bring the tools? This place still looks pretty good!" Sergeant Harrison exclaimed.

"Which tools are you talkin' about? The screwdrivers or Soldier's squad?" Sergeant Miller heckled. Pharah both shot him a dirty look.

"Watch your mouth, sergeant." She said, glancing over at Soldier's squad, who were busy moving their supplies into the nearby buildings, with Soldier supervising. They remained oblivious to their comrade's insults.

"I'll give respect to men who deserve it. Soldier and his band of idiots are semi-average at best. Just admit it, chief. You only let them tag along with us to act as pack mules, and because you've got some weird hard-on for that crazed, no-goo-" Before Sergeant Miller could finish, Pharah angrily slapped him across the face.

"You're out of line, Miller. He's my partner. Nothing more, nothing less." Pharah growled. Sergeant Miller rubbed his stinging cheek.

"Yes ma'am…" He muttered.

"Miller, just calm down. I'm sure the Chief's got her reasons. Let's get a move on, ASAP." Sergeant Harrison said. Pharah nodded in agreement. She turned around and walked over to Soldier, who immediately snapped to attention the moment he saw her coming.

"Security Chief Amari! Men, atten-SHUN!" Every single person in Soldier's squad stopped what they were doing and stood at attention. "What is it, ma'am? Someone to fight?" Soldier asked eagerly, making Pharah feel uncomfortable. Soldier was by far the most enthusiastic of the bunch.

"Soldier... the others and I are heading out to secure the premises. You are to-" Soldier sighed, cutting her off.

"I am to stay behind and set up the equipment, like we planned..." He said monotonously. Even through his oversized metal helmet, Pharah could sense Soldier's excitement slowly fading away.

"Look, your job is also important!" Pharah coaxed. "When we get back, we'll need some nice soft bunks to sleep in and a kitchen to prepare our rations. That's your squad's job!" Underneath her fake smile of encouragement, Pharah felt like she was crushing a child's dreams. She looked at Soldier's stoic expression.

"Yes ma'am." Soldier muttered before giving Pharah one last saute and walking away. His men got back to whatever they were doing beforehand. Pharah sighed. She turned back around.

"Alright men, move out. Secure the area. I feel like we might not be alone." She ordered. With that, the three squadrons departed, checking every nook and cranny of the outpost for signs of human activity. They checked the hospital bay, the storage rooms, the hangar, the generator room, even the latrines. Not a single sign of anyone else around. Finally, the group had made it to the launch site, their final destination.

"Not a single sign here either…" Sergeant Harrison reported, scanning the area along with his men.

"Yeah, this place is definitely deserted." Sergeant Miller said. "Let's just call it a night. We should head back to see if the maids finished cooking us dinner and making our beds." Pharah nodded, ignoring Miller's snide remarks.

"I do think we should check the surrounding buildings, though." She stated. Miller shook his head dismissively.

"Chief, everyone here is tired and hungry from riding across the Atlantic ocean for the past day. None of us got a wink of sleep last night because of those loud-ass rotors." He complained gruffly. Pharah sighed.

"Fine. Your squad can go back. Harrison and I will finish the inspection." Miller smiled in relief.

"Thanks, chief." He said, walking to the front of his squad to lead them back to their camp.

*thunk*

 ***BOOM!***

"AAAAAHH!" Sergeant Miller yelled out. His legs had just been blown off by an explosion, sending him flying backwards. Gunfire suddenly erupted from the surrounding buildings, killing a few soldiers who were too slow to react. The rest of them managed to dive behind cover.

"It's Talon!" Pharah shouted. "That was a Mark 5 JMSS Talon grenade launcher!" She looked around. A few of Miller's men managed to drag him behind cover and were tending to his wounds. The rest of the group were scattered everywhere. "Men, return fire!" She ordered. The soldiers started to fire back at their attackers, but their shots were wildly inaccurate. Even Sergeant Miller's squad, the best shots amongst them, were barely hitting anything. As seconds passed, more and more soldiers were getting mowed down by the unrelenting Talon firepower.

"Chief! Get your men in order!" Harrison shouted. He was one of the only steady shots left in the group, managing to pick off a few Talon soldiers.

"Me? How about you worry about your own men first!" Pharah replied loudly. Her aim was undeterred as well. She pelted the Talon soldiers with rocket after rocket, keeping them at bay. She looked at her men in frustration. Their incompetence put them on the level of sitting ducks. "If we can't get our act together, this is it for us…" She thought to herself. Suddenly, Sergeant Harrison was hit in the shoulder by a bullet. He fell backwards to the ground with a pained grunt.

"Chief! I'm hit!" He shouted. Pharah couldn't believe her eyes. Now she was the only steady shot left. She knew the enemy had caught on by now that Pharah and her sergeants were the only real threats. In the distance, Pharah saw the glint of a sniper's scope out of the corner of her eye. Her rocket launcher was empty, and she had no time to reload. She had no way to fly up without being instantly gunned down. With no other options, Pharah braced herself.

Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out from the sniper's nest, catching everyone, friend and foe, by surprise. Several more rockets followed suit, managing to clear out the building closest to the launch site entrance. The Talon soldiers looked around anxiously to see where the rockets were coming from. Their eyes fell onto a man standing in the distance. Pharah's eyes widened. There was no doubt about it. The man then raised his arm to the sky and fired off a glowing flare before quickly ducking out of sight. Before the flare even reached its apex, the door to the cleared building was blown open.

Eight men armed to the teeth poured into the room, carrying a large machine gun with them. They set the machine gun down by the window and immediately left the room, leaving two men behind. One to man the gun, and the other to snipe. All of the buildings Talon had taken over were interconnected, giving the remaining six men access to all enemy locations. The machine gunner and sniper started to go to work, the sniper picking off any Talon snipers while the machine gun provided suppressing fire. Sure enough, the bulk of the Talon firepower fell onto their area. Even with bullets whizzing by, both soldier's aim remained true.

Meanwhile, the remaining six men were sneaking around the buildings, clearing roomful after roomful of distracted Talon soldiers with extreme precision. Even after word got around to the remaining Talon forces about the intruders, they didn't lose their cool. They blitzed through room after room, while the sniper and machine gunner served as a sizable distraction.

"Now men! Support has arrived! Fire!" Pharah ordered. Her troops morale had been given a considerable boost. Their aim started to become steadier, finally managing to hit their marks. After a few more minutes of brutal gunfights, they had managed to neutralize the threat. Pharah sighed in relief. "That was the single biggest military comeback I had ever experienced…"

"Ma'am!" Pharah perked up at the sound of Soldier's gruff voice. She turned around to see him standing at attention.

"Soldier! Y-you've saved us all! I...don't even know what to say!" Soldier smiled at Pharah's uncharacteristically flustered expression.

"Soldier...how the hell did you do it?" Harrison wheezed. He was being tended to by his men, who had helped him over to Soldier's side. "Our men...they just froze up on the spot. Your group of eight...the laughing stock of our entire military...just saved our asses. Not once did you or your men react to our insults...how?" Soldier smirked.

"If there is one thing I've learned through my years, it's that you need two things to make good soldier: training and delusions." Harrison raised an eyebrow.

"Delusions?" Soldier nodded.

"If you tell a man that he is unstoppable often enough, he will be convinced that he truly is. It worked on me, and it worked on my men." He pointed at Harrison's men. "Your men were tough, fast, accurate… but they had never seen a battle before. I've trained my men from scratch, while you all used methods meant for seasoned war-dogs." He said calmly. Harrison looked back at him in slight disbelief.

"Yeah, I just forgot that you were insane. My bad. Pretend I didn't say a thing." With that, Harrison walked back to his men, muttering under his breath. Pharah looked over at Soldier.

"Don't let him get to you, sergeant. You've shown me that your methods do, in fact, work far better then we expected." She reassured. Soldier smiled at her.

"I don't need any of their approval, ma'am. Only yours." Soldier then spotted his men running out of the buildings towards him. He gave Pharah one last salute before running over to them proudly. Pharah sighed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny, empty vial.

"Heh, your concoction worked, Mercy." She muttered. She then turned the vial around and read the label with relief. If it wasn't for her temporary lead poisoning cure, Soldier would have driven his men to their deaths for sure.


	6. Chapter 6: To Befriend a Monster

**Chapter 6: To Befriend a Monster**

"Dat thing? Oh yeah...he...she...it's a monster. We...don't talk about it too much."

"Ma'am, if you value your hide, get away while you can. I'll vouch for you if you want to take it up with your superiors."

"That thing? Oh I dunnae be knowing where we found that creature. Ya can't talk to it and ya can't tell it to do bloody anythin'. "

"I fear no man, but that thing...it scares me."

"Pyro? Oh..uhh...it's a good helper when it comes to dealin' with Spies and their sappers...I don't tell it to go after em'. It just does."

"Pyro is a most fascinating specimen. I haven't done a single medical check-up on it for zhe entirety of our team's existence, yet it still has yet to develop a single illness!"

"Oh, I see what it does on the field through my scope. It ain't pretty, miss. The things I've seen still gives me bloody chills to this very day."

"To me, the Pyro is nothing more than a semi-viable disguise. I'd stay as far away as possible, mademoiselle."

Mei sighed. She had been shaking down all of the mercenaries for whatever information they had on Pyro, but to no avail. "Thank you, Spy." She muttered. Spy threw his cigarette butt onto the ground and took out a new one.

"De rien." He said. As Mei was walking away, Spy chimed in again. "Oh, and one more thing, do not ever let that thing near its Flamethrower when we are not in combat. I'd imagine Winston would not be happy if the Overwatch HQ burned down." Mei gulped nervously and nodded. Spy lit his new cigarette as they both continued walking in separate directions.

It's been over a month since Mei had first met Pyro. While everyone else was busy having duels and retaking bases, Mei isn't even sure that her partner had even noticed her. She was constantly trying new ways to get Pyro's attention, but nothing could drag it away from its magazines. After a few weeks, Mei still hasn't made any progress. She found it much easier to just leave Pyro alone in its room, where it would just sit in a corner and read, while toying with its new lighter in its other hand.

As the days went by, Pyro seemed to act more and more on edge. By now, it has completely isolated itself from the entire base. Even Pyro's own team had to deliver its meals and magazines by leaving them at its doorstep. Pyro would only open the door to take its food if no one was looking. Strangely, the less operatives there were in the base, the more Pyro seemed to loosen up a bit. Not by much, but just a bit. Mei had taken this behavior into account, but was unsure as to what to do with this information. Even after hearing its own team's descriptions about Pyro, it didn't help in the slightest.

* * *

"Winston, I'm begging you. Send Pyro out into the field with me!" Mei pleaded. Winston sat in front of her at his desk, a bored expression on his face. "I have tried everything with it. I've even tried luring it out with fire! This is the last option I have to get Pyro out of its bubble of isolation!"

"Mei, you're asking me to send a deranged pyromaniac out onto the field to assist in our global peacekeeping efforts." Winston leaned in close to Mei, baring his teeth a bit. "The key word is 'peacekeeping'. Not 'arson'. Peacekeeping." He said sternly. Mei took a deep breath.

"I'm not asking you to send Pyro to rescue hostages or anything. Just send us both on a small search-and-destroy mission." Mei reasoned. Winston shook his head firmly.

"I said, no. I will not let that mumbling abomination into this fine world of ours. It's just out of the questio-"

"Why not, Winston?" Mei and Winston turned to the door, where Soldier 76 had just arrived. "I've got a small Yakuza hideout that needs to be destroyed over in Kyoto. Nothing too big." Soldier 76 said as he walked to Mei's side. "I was just about to send a team of two operatives to Japan for this mission, and it seems like I've got the perfect candidates already!" Mei smiled in relief.

"Oh thank you, Jack! I'll go and tell Pyro the good news!" Mei was just about to get up when Winston cleared his throat assertively.

"What are you thinking, Jack? Sending a crazed psychopath into the streets of Kyoto? How do we know that Pyro's not going to burn the rest of the city down along with the Yakuza?" He asked angrily. Soldier 76 waved his hand dismissively.

"What do you think the place is made out of? Dry plywood? We've done extensive testing on Pyro's Flamethrower. Although the fire it spews is deadly to organic matter, the only other things it can ignite is dead leaves and flammable chemicals. Dell told us that he made that change long ago so Pyro wouldn't burn down the places his team was trying to capture." Mei nodded in approval.

"See Winston? Problem solved! Now we can-"

"But it's a psychopath!" Winston cut in. "We shouldn't be sending a lunatic out onto the field!" He was looking more agitated by the second.

"Winston, both you and I know that Pyro is capable of getting the job done. Its team might think it has a few loose screws in its head, but they acknowledge the fact that Pyro is a valuable and efficient ally to have." Soldier 76 said, eyeing Winston suspiciously. "Did that fact slip out of your head or something?" Winston was twitching with frustration. After a few moments, he took a deep breath, calming himself down.

"I guess I have no choice." He turned to Mei. "Fine. You and Pyro will report to hangar 2C tomorrow at 0500 hours sharp." Mei smiled, gave a salute, and started walking out of Winston's office, eager to tell Pyro the good news. However, just as she was leaving, she saw Winston subtly glaring at her in a menacing fashion, his beady yellow eyes following her out the door.

"You seem really tense, Winston. Everything alright?" Soldier 76 asked. Winston sighed and gave a sad smile in response.

"These mercenaries really are a handful, aren't they?" He remarked. Winston stood up from his chair and stretched. "Well, I'd best be going off to my room. I've got to pack for my...uh...routine check-up trip to…uh… Watchpoint Gibraltar tomorrow." Soldier 76 nodded.

"Of course, sir."

* * *

"That feeling..."

"It hasn't gone away for the longest time."

"The feeling that… something bad is lurking around here."

"It shouldn't be possible."

"What do you think, Balloony?"

"..."

"I'd love to help them out. To be honest, they don't even seem like bad people."

"Something's just… off."

"I'm getting an extremely bad premonition here."

"..."

"But that's just a pipe dream. That monkey's keeping me locked up in this room."

"..."

"Mark my words, Balloony. I'll get us out of here eventually."

"Someday…"

* * *

"Pyro!" Mei called out, knocking on the door to Pyro's room. "Pyro, come out! I have great news!" After a few moments, Pyro's door opened by just a crack. Mei beamed with eager joy as if she was talking to a little kid. "Guess what? Winston finally gave you a mission! Come out! We need to get to the briefing!" Suddenly, the door slammed shut, causing Mei to flinch. Once she recovered, she sighed. "Damn it…" She muttered. Just as Mei was about to walk away, she heard Pyro's door burst open again. She turned around, seeing Pyro standing confidently in the doorway. Its asbestos suit gave off a crisp shine, as if it has just been cleaned and polished. Pyro looked Mei in the eye.

"Huddah huddah huh!" It cheered. Mei smiled at Pyro's newfound enthusiasm.

"Now that's a face I haven't seen in a while! Come on! I'll lead you over to the briefing room." She motioned for Pyro to follow her as she started to walk down the hall, with Pyro following closely.

* * *

"Huh, well that was fast."

"So, what made the monkey change his mind?"

"He would never let me go to Japan, even if he sent an army to watch me."

"Maybe this woman convinced him."

"What was her name again? It's been so long since I last saw someone."

"Mei… Now I remember."

"Thank you, Mei."

"Balloony! Mei freed us!"

"..."

"I know she's been trying to free us for the past few weeks."

"I want to repay her by finishing whatever task she has for us to perfection."

"Let's do this, Balloony. We'll do it for her."

* * *

He sat at his desk, fidgeting with a pen in frustration. He was holding a phone to his ear with a grim look in his eyes. The room was silent, except for the phone's dial tone. Suddenly, someone picked up.

"ヨースケバシフルーツ市場！ 今日は元気ですか？" A lighthearted japanese woman's voice asked over the phone. He chuckled.

"今日は気分が良くない。 私は10月にうまくいきません。" He replied. The woman paused a bit.

"Your accent… it is American. Who are you? How did you know the passcode?" She asked, her tone much more serious now. He pursed his lips.

"I am a Yakuza informant. I've found out that Overwatch is planning a raid tomorrow. They will be sending two dangerous operatives to Kyoto. They will be arriving by private jet at Osaka International Airport. They will arrive tomorrow night at about 1900 hours. Be prepared." The woman was dumbfounded by the sudden influx of information. She gulped.

"We will take your warning into consideration. Good work, informant." She said. He smirked with satisfaction.

"Pleasure to do business with you." Before he could hang up, the woman called out yet again.

"Wait!" He held the phone back up to his ear. "Give me your name! Now! I must match it with the Yakuza database to verify your claims!" She ordered. His grin disappeared. He wasn't expecting for her to be so meticulous. He covered the phone's speaker.

"Athena, hack into the Yakuza database and add 'Jeffery Smith' to the list of active informants." He said, his voice now a deep rumble.

"HACK COMPLETE." Athena responded shortly after, her voice much more deadpan then usual. His confident smirk returned as he uncovered the phone's speaker.

"Jeffery Smith bids you good night, madam."

 **Two days later…**

"Welcome to… Kyoto…" Mei squinted at the strange japanese symbols. "I think that's what it says. Japanese writing is very similar to Mandarin, so I can get bits and pieces out." She looked behind her. Pyro was gazing around at the airport's tidy architecture. The two of them were in Osaka International Airport. Mei was dressed in a tracksuit jacket and a pair of jeans. Pyro was still in its asbestos-lined suit, but was given a firefighter's helmet to wear to disguise it as a fireman. Mei stepped away from the greeting sign and walked up to Pyro enthusiastically. "Have you ever been to Japan, Pyro?" She asked.

"Uh huh." Pyro responded. Mei's eyes lit up.

"Wow! Where?" Pyro thought for a few moments before answering.

"Uh...mmphl hudda huh mmph!" It pieced together, its voice still muffled by the mask. Mei smiled and clapped her hands.

"Ha ha! I guess you're quite the traveller, then!" She exclaimed. Mei checked her watch.

"Oh! We need to get going! Our taxi is waiting for us!" She and Pyro both picked up their bulky suitcases and rushed to the airport's exit. However, they failed to notice a japanese man standing behind the crowd of people, watching the duo's every move like a panther eyeing down its prey. He raised a walkie talkie to his mouth.

"ジェフリーは正しかった。私は今それらに従っています" He said quietly. With a deft hand, he slipped the radio into his jacket pocket and took out a slender pistol. He started following Pyro and Mei, being careful to keep his pistol out of sight from nearby bypassers. He trailed after then discreetly all the way to the airport entrance, where they loaded their luggage onto their taxi and drove off. The man grumbled in frustration and raised his radio once again. "私はそれらを失った。 訪問者のために準備する。"

 **Three hours later...**

The streets of Kyoto's outskirts are a strange combination of old and new. Rice farmers in traditional clothes towed their cargo around in hovering wheelbarrows. Janitorial omnics tended to old buildings with bamboo supports. Genetically modified cherry trees sprinkled the streets with their pink petals, which all biodegrade within a minute. Amongst the crowd of busy japanese merchants and buyers were Pyro and Mei, who both had a picture of a building in their hands, along with their briefcases.

"Soldier 76 sent Spy out here a week back to scout out this area. He took these pictures of the Yakuza hideout." Mei explained to Pyro. She flipped her photo over. "He wrote down directions on the back. From the looks of it, we're getting pretty close. Keep an eye out, ok?" Pyro nodded in response. Mei smiled. Ever since they embarked on this mission, Pyro had been opening up in a way that she had never seen before. Pyro seemed more comfortable around Mei, seeming to care about what she actually has to say. Even when little children would run up to it to touch its asbestos-lined suit, it would politely let them touch a few times before gently brushing them off. Mei was happy with these changes. She just hoped that they would last.

"Mmphl huddah huh!" Pyro suddenly grabbed Mei's arm and pointed at a shop in the distance. Mei giggled.

"Are you hungry already? Fine. Let's see what they're selling there! Maybe we can buy ourselves some lunch." Pyro shook its head and held the picture up to Mei's face. Her eyes widened in realization. "What? That shop is the building?" She squinted at the distant building and held her picture up as well. "It does look similar, but Spy's directions tell us to go past this store." Pyro grumbled in frustration and started dragging Mei through the crowd of people, turning some heads. "Pyro! You're dragging attention to us! Let me go!" Mei hissed.

"Mmph mmph dah!" Pyro said in response, keeping its grip tight. Before long, it had dragged them both to the front of the store. Now that they were closer, the two of them could see that it was a fish market. Pyro held its picture up once again and pointed to the store. "Hurmpha huddah!" It stated.

"I get that this shop looks like the building in the picture, but it's not the right one! Spy wrote down that we need to keep going down the street!" Pyro looked at Mei's stern expression. After a bit, he abruptly let go of her arm and dashed into the fish market by itself, catching Mei off guard. "Pyro!" She yelled, bolting after it. "Pyro, get back here! Now!"

"Hrmph! Huddah!" It called out, dashing deeper into the market's small plaza. Mei chased Pyro through the dense maze of fish-loaded carts and baskets, trying not to knock anything over. The two of them finally burst into the main building, where Pyro knocked over a bin of trout on its way in. This caught the attention of the group of fishmongers behind the counters. They immediately started shouting in japanese, with a few of them climbing over the displays to confront the duo. Panicked customers started running outside in loud confusion.

"Pyro! Stop this!" Mei shouted. Suddenly, Pyro jerked left and started running towards the fishmonger's counter. This move caught Mei off-guard, causing her to slip on a fresh salmon and fall to the tile floor. She sat back up, rubbing her head painfully. Suddenly, three angry fishmongers started charging at her with their gutting knives raised. Instinctively, Mei quickly opened her briefcase and pulled out her Endothermic Blaster. She shot a wave of frost at the fishmongers, freezing their feet to the ground. Mei turned around and scanned the market for Pyro. Suddenly, she saw it behind the counters, heading towards the back room.

"その男を止めろ！" One of the fishmongers yelled. More fishmongers started to swipe at Pyro with their knives, which it dodged. Mei charged forward and leapt over the counters, spewing a torrent of frost. The frost solidified into a solid wall of ice, separating Pyro from the fishmongers. As the fishmongers were struggling to get over the wall, Mei turned to Pyro with a stern expression.

"Look at all the trouble you've caused!" She yelled accusingly. "Now we've blown our cover! The Yakuza must've heard about this by now!" Pyro looked back at her blankly. It held up the picture and pointed to it again. Then, it crept under the counter and pulled out a small pistol. Before Mei could even realize what this meant, she heard gunshots coming from the other side of the wall. She gasped in disbelief. Bullets started chipping away at the ice wall, sending cracks running up and down its length. Mei quickly grabbed Pyro's suitcase and opened it. Inside was its disassembled Flamethrower.

"Huh huh! Mmph!" Pyro exclaimed, clapping its hands with glee.

"Put your Flamethrower together, Pyro!" Mei ordered. She glanced over to her ice wall. "As soon as they deal enough damage my wall, I want you to-" Mei was interrupted by a nozzle passing her side. She back up and saw Pyro pointing its fully-assembled Flamethrower at the wall, a fiery look in its eyes. She smiled.

"Huddah… huh!" With that, Pyro unleashed a stream of white-hot flames, melting Mei's wall instantly and scorching the pistol-wielding fishmongers. As they fell to the ground writhing in pain, Mei quickly froze them solid, extinguishing the flames and incapacitating them.

"Uh, Pyro? Want to not give me debilitating nightmares of people burning alive?" Mei squeaked. Pyro sighed.

"Phudah huh huh…" It agreed. Suddenly, something caught Mei's eyes. A dead, gutted turtle was hanging from a giant meat hook. Her eyes widened in terror.

"Th-they're selling t-turtle meat?" She stammered. Her expression suddenly darkened. "So it's people like these who are driving endangered ocean creatures into extinction…" Pyro put a hand on Mei's shoulder.

"Mmph?" It said in concern. Mei looked back at it with fury in her eyes.

"Never mind. Be sure to let it rip. These are truly awful people." Pyro nodded enthusiastically. The two of them approached the door to the back room. Mei shot an icicle into the door's lock, effectively breaking it. She glanced over at Pyro. "You first." With that, Pyro kicked the door open and started spraying an unrelenting wave of fire into the dim room. The duo caught a group of Yakuza members off guard, allowing Pyro to torch them all down. The two of them started to advance. Mei shot her icicles at distant targets while Pyro kept them at bay. Suddenly, another group of Yakuza burst into the room wielding assault rifles. Mei quickly built another ice wall, shielding her and Pyro.

"超過が来ていることを美香に伝えてください！" One of the Yakuza men shouted out. Another one of them nodded and ran away. The others continued to fire at the ice wall, hoping to chip it away bit by bit. Meanwhile, Mei was formulating a plan.

"Pyro! Can you tell me how many enemies there are?" She asked. Pyro picked up a shard of one-way glass off the floor and used it to look around the ice wall. After a bit, it held up four fingers. Mei nodded and quickly made four icicles with her frost. She set them down just outside the ice wall's cover. Pyro's eyes lit up. Mei could see that it knew what she wanted to do. Without saying anything, Mei stepped away from the icicles as Pyro took her place. It suddenly leapt beside the ice wall and used its airblast, launching the icicles into the four gunmen with deadly accuracy. In a heartbeat, the wave of bullets stopped and the four gunmen fell to the floor, dead.

"Rah hah hah hah hah!" Pyro cheered triumphantly, waving its Flamethrower over its head. Mei suddenly dashed past it.

"No time to celebrate, Pyro! We have to move!" She ran over to an open trapdoor she spotted on the floor. "By the looks of it, someone here escaped this way! They might be contacting reinforcements right now!"

"Oh, but they already have." A cold woman's voice said from behind. Suddenly, two arrows flew forward from the dark recesses of the room towards Mei and Pyro. Luckily, Mei encased herself in a thick layer of ice just in time, deflecting the arrow, while Pyro used its airblast to lodge the other arrow into the floor. Mei shattered the ice and turned around, seeing the woman standing in front of them.

"You must be the supervisor of this hideout!" Mei said accusingly. The woman smirked.

"ハンゾ、あなた自身を見せることができます。" She called out. In response, a man leapt out from the shadows of the room. Mei's expression turned to one of surprise. She recognized him immediately.

"Hanzo!?" She asked in disbelief. Hanzo stood before her, dressed in a standard Yakuza suit and tie. He smirked.

"Mei, what a pleasant surprise." He said. "I'm sorry, but you and your masked friend must leave. I've been working as a Yakuza hitman recently, so their concerns are mi-."

"Oh my god! Hanzo, I can't believe we finally found you!" Mei interrupted happily. "We've been looking everywhere! Here, I have something for you." Hanzo was wracked with confusion as Mei started to dig through her pockets.

"Enough of this, kill her!" The woman demanded. Hanzo dutifully raised his bow, and aimed at Mei's head. Suddenly, Pyro ran up to him and used its airblast, knocking his bow out of his hand. Hanzo quickly grabbed an arrow from his quiver and stabbed Pyro's Flamethrower in the gas tank, watching as the flammable gas quickly leaked out. Pyro threw its now useless Flamethrower to the floor and grabbed its fire axe from its belt. It started to slash wildly at Hanzo, who easily dodged them thanks to his martial arts training. Suddenly, Hanzo managed to grab Pyro's arm and put it into an arm lock. He flipped Pyro onto its back and held his arrow up, ready to stab.

"Here!" Mei suddenly shoved a thick envelope into Hanzo's face, stopping him. "It's your offer letter to become an Overwatch operative!" Mei grabbed Hanzo's wrist and put the envelope into his hand. "Go on! Open it!" She encouraged.

"Cease this foolishness now!" The woman yelled. "Hanzo! Unless you no longer want want your pay, kill them!" Hanzo paused for a moment, considering his situation carefully. After giving it some thought, he tore the envelope open. Immediately, a wad of American hundred-dollar bills spilled onto the floor. Hanzo's eyes widened in surprise. He quickly gathered all the money and started to meticulously count them. Mei gave the woman a cheeky glance.

"He's ours now, dear." She said snidely. Hanzo looked over at the woman.

"This envelope contains $200,000 in checks and bills." He stated. "I believe that the terms of our contract are now irrelevant, Mika-sama." Hanzo released Pyro and stood back up. "Unless if you can top that amount right now, I'm afraid I will have to take their side in this matter." Mika started to lose her cool. A fearful expression crossed her face.

"H-Hanzo! You know how wealthy my superiors are! S-surely if you just wait a bit…" Hanzo, Mei, and Pyro started to close in on Mika, making her back up in fear. "...I-I will get you the money! Please, Hanzo! Think about this! Plea-" Before she could finish, Mei raised her Endothermic Blaster to Mika's face and froze her solid in a block of ice. She released an empty vial from her weapon and loved in a new one from her pockets.

"Well…" Mei looked over at Pyro. "We did it!" Pyro and Mei erupted into cheers of joy as Hanzo looked on in confusion.

"How did you two even find this hideout?" He asked.

"I didn't, Pyro did!" Mei responded excitingly. Hanzo looked over at Pyro.

"This Pyro… is he new?"

"Yes!" Mei affirmed. Hanzo walked up to Pyro, looking it in the eyes.

"Well Pyro… how did you find this place?"

* * *

"How did I find this place?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure."

"All I know is that the pictures Spy took…"

"...were giving me the same feeling that I've felt back in the Overwatch HQ."

"That feeling that something terrible was lurking around."

"I wonder what would've happened if we followed Spy's directions?"

 **Two Hours Later…**

"ミカ！ ミカ、電話を拾う！" A japanese woman yelled into the phone's receiver. She waited, each second getting longer then the last. She started to sweat nervously.

"Well, is Mika picking up or not?" A Yakuza grunt asked. He was standing right behind the woman, looking rather bored.

"Erm…no…sir." She responded, her voice quivering. Suddenly, the door to the dim room burst open.

"ミカの倉庫が破壊されました！" Another Yakuza grunt yelled out in a panic. The woman gasped in terror. The Yakuza grunt behind her glanced at the other wryly.

"ああ。 どうもありがとうございました。 あなたは出ることができます。" He said. The Yakuza grunt at the door nodded and swiftly left. The woman felt the Yakuza grunt grab the back of her head.

"Did you hear that? She's dead. The Pyro figured us out. We've set this trap for nothing." He hissed in her ear. The woman started to cry softly. "Oh, no need to cry. It'll all be over soon…" With those words, the grunt stabbed the woman in the back of her torso with a knife, letting her body fall to the floor. He tucked his knife away and looked down at her pitifully. "What a wasted opportunity…" He started making his way to the exit. "This place stinks of rotting fruit anyways…"

* * *

"Well Balloony, things have been going well recently."

"We sent Mika to Gibraltar, my performance on that last mission got Winston to let me out of my room permanently, and Spy got a two day suspension for giving us the wrong directions."

"It would've been a week, but Winston vouched for him for some reason."

"Oh yeah, Hanzo just swiped our money and ran away. That bastard."

"..."

"Yeah, I can still feel it too."

"That feeling hasn't gone away."

"But at least we can finally relax a bit."

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Balloony."

"Let's sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow…"


	7. Chapter 7: Bad Boys

**Chapter 7: Bad Boys**

"Alright mate. The propellant's almost ready!"

"When you're pouring it in, watch the adhesive. It might cause the bloody thing to blow!"

Demoman and Junkrat were inside Junkrat's bomb lab. The smell of sulfur and many other chemicals lingered in the air. Vials of explosive liquids and piles of pre-made bombs cluttered the workbench. The floor was coated in a layer of grease and was littered with scrap parts. Junkrat and Demoman sat opposite to each other, upgrading the other's bombs and weapons. Junkrat was tinkering with Demoman's grenade launcher, Eyelander, and stickybomb launcher, while Demoman was dabbling around with Junkrat's frag launcher, RIP Tire, and concussive mine.

"So!" Junkrat stated as he lifted the upgraded grenade launcher onto the workbench. "I've swapped out your clumsy chamber-based loading mechanism with a belt-fed basket system." Demoman looked impressed. Junkrat continued explaining. "The basket can carry 6 of your grenades at once and fire them much faster. Also, I added my own secret bomb formula and some metal frags to make your bombs deal much more damage. Demoman took a grenade out of the basket and observed it, looking clearly amazed. "I've replaced the adhesive spikes on your stickybombs with tiny drills. Now they can stick to military grade steel and to people!" Demoman fired a stickybomb at one of the titanium-alloy walls of the lab. He watched as the bomb burrowed its tiny drills into the impervious material. "That's not all mate! I took a look at that ghost sword you brought in earlier, and I put in a little trinket that will electrify the blade whenever you want." Junkrat brought out the Eyelander and pushed the little button on the hilt. The blade started to glow blue and crackle with electricity. Demoman took the sword and examined the blade. "Oh and I checked with the ghost that lives there. He doesn't mind." Demoman smirked.

"Yer doin' good lad! Now, yer grenade launcher is perfectly fine, but it's ya bombs that I've changed." Demoman brought a sack of Junkrat's bombs onto the workbench. "Trinitrogen hydroglycerin (I call it Demopowder). That's the secret. All the explosive power, half the amount. Of course, I dunnae be plainly fill them up with the stuff, I filled each of those blotters up to half and put flashbang filling in the rest." Demoman took a bomb out of the sack. "Now these little terrors can stun as well as explode." He pulled the pin on the bomb and chucked it behind him. It bounced into a crater filled area of the room marked as the "testing sector". A deafening bang and a flash of white light blinded Junkrat, but didn't affect Demoman, who was wearing ear protection and goggles. After Junkrat recovered, Demoman continued to explain his upgrades. "Yer concussive mine got a few upgrades as well." Demoman brought it up onto the table. "I put a tiny EMP in there to allow its blast to heavily damage any electronic devices. Also, I used Demopowder to compactify the mine, meaning that you can deploy three separate mines now!" Demoman separated the mine on the table into three thinner ones. Junkrat looked very surprised. "Now, yer tire, I redirected the motor's signals and strapped a rocket thruster on it. Now it's a bloody RIP-Rocket!" Junkrat took a look at his new upgraded RIP-Rocket. "Ya pull the cord, and off it shoots." Junkrat hopped to his new weapon like a child on Christmas Day, giggling with glee. He immediately swiped the remote for the rocket from Demoman's hands, grabbed the ripcord on the engine, and pulled. They cheered as the deadly rocket flew out of the lab.

Unfortunately, Junkrat dropped the remote while he was celebrating. The batteries popped out and disappeared into the clutter on the floor. The duo looked down for a moment, then at each other. The started to panic as the rocket flew out of control. "Aw shucks mate! What's that thing gonna do when the remote's busted!?" Demoman pondered for a moment.

"It's gonna keep flyin' until it runs out of fuel." Demoman explained. "I made the engine run off Demopowder, so it should run out in…" Demoman checked the clock in the room. "...6 hours?" Junkrat ran some quick calculations.

"That thing's flyin' at 120 miles per hour! It's gonna be about 720 miles away when it drops...so...why are we panickin'?" Demoman realized this and relaxed.

"Heh, so it was nothin' to worry aboot anyways." The duo laughed and left to celebrate their success.

* * *

"Hanzo...I know you're here." Genji was with Scout in a old abandoned house looking for his brother.

"Yeah come on out Handsoap! We know yer here!" Genji looked at Scout sternly.

"It's HANZO, not Handsoap." Genji paused for a moment. "Heh heh...Handsoap…heh heh… 'Handsoap! Why did you stab me?'" Genji chucked at Scout's accidental joke. Scout laughed along with him.

"So these are the people who want to greet me." Scout and Genji immediately stopped laughing and pulled out their weapons. "My imputent long lost brother and a man-child. And what's more, they're mocking me!" Hanzo dropped from the rafters and approached the two of them. "What do you want."

Genji put his shurikens away and Scout lowered his Scattergun. They both gave a bow, which Hanzo returned. "It has been some months since you have declined my invitation to join Overwatch. I have come to check up on you." Hanzo crossed his arms.

"Yer brother 'ere was goin' on about how ya need to find inner peace with yerself. We want you ta come back to Overwatch. We're gonna need all da help we can get." Scout explained. Hanzo looked at Scout.

"I to, have been thinking." Hanzo sighed. "I have been in the shadows for too long. I shall accept your invitation to do something good for this world." Hanzo shook Genji's hand as they shared a brotherly reunion.

"Uhh, anybody else hear that?" Scout asked. A quiet rumbling sound filled the room. Before anyone could react, the RIP-Rocket tore through the old house and detonated near the old wooden beams. The house instantly collapsed, leaving Scout, Genji, and Hanzo sprawled out in the wreckage. Hanzo sat back up.

"I take that back. You will never see me again brother." Hanzo stood, and started to walk away. Genji and Scout got back up.

"Brother wait! Why are you leaving? That missile strike meant nothing in particular!" Genji shouted. Hanzo looked at Genji, and pointed to a scrap rocket part in the wreckage. The piece of the rocket he pointed to had the Overwatch symbol painted on it.

"Next time, be more stealthy when you want to assassinate your brother." Hanzo spat. He immediately threw a smoke bomb onto the ground and disappeared. Genji was confused. Why would Overwatch try to blow up his brother?

"Uhh, Genji?" Scout asked. "I'd think that you'd wanna see dis." Scout brought over a second piece of the rocket with two logos painted on it. The first logo, Scout recognised as the Demoman's. A stickybomb in the middle of a circle. The second logo, Genji knows about. A drawing of one of Junkrat's smiling bombs in the middle of a circle. "You know what dis means, right?" Genji seethed with rage. He knew exactly which two buffoons were behind all this.

"Let's go pay them a visit." Genji muttered. Scout agreed as they both began the long journey back to HQ.

 **Next morning** …

"JUNKRAT AND DEMOMAN! REPORT TO ADMINISTRATION IMMEDIATELY!" Demoman snapped awake, sending empty bottles of scrumpy everywhere. He suddenly started to feel the effects of his hangover. Clutching his head, he looked around the room. Junkrat and him have stayed up last night celebrating their new creations. Empty bottles of scrumpy and beer littered the room. Demoman knew that he could drink, but not nearly this much. He looked around, and found Junkrat lying on a table, passed out. He heard the sound of breathing coming from underneath the bed covers. When he looked, he saw a small, asian woman asleep beside him! He recoiled his arm in surprise, causing her to wake up. She yawned and giggled at Demoman's shocked expression.

"Don't you know a one night stand when you see one?" she asked.

"Who are you?" Demoman questioned groggily. The woman smiled.

"I'm Hana. I came back to visit my friends in Overwatch last night, but I walked in on you and Junkrat having your little celebration. You guys urged me to stay and drink, so I did." She sat up and kissed Demoman, feeling his rough stubble on her lips. "The result? The single best night of my life." Demoman was surprised at the kiss Hana gave him, but soon relaxed and embraced her. They fell back down to the bed as they made out. Demoman was afraid that Junkrat would wake up and see them, but Hana's lustful embraces melted those worries away.

"JUNKRAT AND DEMOMAN! GET YOUR ASSES TO ADMIN NOW!" Demoman and Hana jumped at the sound of Soldier 76's voice over the speaker. Demoman sighed, and sat back up.

"I'm sorry lass, but Junkrat and I need ta go." Demoman apologized. Hana pouted slightly.

"Can I come back later, Tavish?" she said seductively. Hana struck a sexy pose on the bed. Demoman smiled.

"Of course ya can." He kissed her one last time before Hana put on her skin tight suit and left. Demoman filled a bathtub with cold water (after taking Hana's panties out of it), picked up Junkrat, and dumped him in. Junkrat's scream echoed through HQ.

"I HEARD THAT! STOP SCREAMING AND GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE!" Soldier 76 boomed over the mic. Junkrat hopped out of the cold bath and proceeded to get dressed along with Demoman. A few moments later, they walked down the hall. Junkrat held his head.

"What 'appened last night mate?" He asked. "I don't exactly remember. There was lots of alcohol and video games, but I remember nothin' else!" Demoman thought for a moment. Should he tell him about Hana? Did he...do anything to Hana?

"No...that's all it was. Alcohol and bloody video games." Junkrat smiled.

"Y'know, my granddaddy once said: 'If you're willing to get drunk with a man, that man's your greatest friend.' The old coot died later in a mental hospital, so I'm not sure about how credible that is, but I'll take his word for it." Junkrat smiled at Demoman, who smiled back.

"I've...had a friend like that once." Demoman said with pain in his voice. "Y'know Soldier?"

"Yeah. He's the crazy one that Pharah took in, right?"

"Mm-hmm. I once had a great relationship with the BLU Soldier. We had the thickest bond anyone could have… until my employer ended it. She set us up for a bloody war. Soldier had me beat, but I saw the pain in his eyes as he mauled me with his shovel. Medic saved me, but my relationship with the BLU Soldier was lost." Junkrat looked confused.

"Wait...there are more of you?" Demoman nodded.

"Yeah. Another 9 more exact bloody duplicates." Junkrat recoiled in surprise.

"Well, why didn't we bring the other team here as well? That's two times more help!" Junkrat asked.

"We...don't like seeing each other." Demoman responded. He looked up. They were at Administration. The duo walked into the office, to see an angry Soldier 76.

"Are you two jokers aware that you almost caused the death of two Overwatch operatives and caused one deadly mercenary to escape?" Soldier 76 looked at them sternly. Demoman and Junkrat looked confused. "This was salvaged at the site of impact. Scout?" Scout came forward with the piece of scrap metal that had their logos on it.

"Blimey...is that…" Junkrat couldn't believe his eyes. It was a part of their RIP-Rocket.

"Well...what were the bloody odds?" Demoman groaned. Scout dropped the scrap piece onto the floor.

"What's the deal? You almost got me and Genji killed! You chuckleheads are gettin' a bit outta control!" Scout yelled. Soldier 76 nodded.

"I agree with Scout on that one. You're too dangerous to be here right now." Soldier 76 took out a clipboard and a pen. "You two will face a 3 week suspension each. Now get out." Demoman looked at him with shock.

"W-wait! It was an accident! Ya don' need ta do this!" Demoman cried. Soldier 76 ignored him.

"Come on mate." Junkrat put his hand on Demoman's shoulder. "Let's get out of this dump. A few weeks off sounds pretty nice." Junkrat said. Demoman looked at him, and sighed.

"We'll go and pack our belongin's up." Demoman stated. They walked out of the room along with Scout, who caught up to them to apologize.

"Hey. I'm...sorry I got you guys suspended...but I really feel that you guys need some time off." Junkrat smiled.

"No worries mate! Some time off is just what we needed!" Scout looked at Demoman, who nodded. Scout breathed a sigh of relief.

"All right den. Enjoy your time off chuckleheads!" Scout waved and ran off, leaving Demoman and Junkrat to pack up their stuff.

 **3 days later…**

"This is the bloody life!" Demoman shouted. He and Junkrat rented a fairly decent apartment to live out their suspension. They were sitting on a sofa with enough beer, scrumpy, and other liquors to last them for the three weeks, and then some more. Demoman clinked bottles with Junkrat as the chugged down the remaining bits. "So as I was sayin'..." Demoman put his bottle on the table while Junkrat listened to his story. "I woke up later, and the bloody magician was gone! I felt a pain in me eye socket, only to find that me eye was missin'!" Demoman opened another bottle of scrumpy. "I swore revenge on Merasmus the magician, but the action of taking me eye, also gave me powers." Demoman held up his Eyelander. "Now this bloody ghost sword can collect the souls of the ones I've killed to boost my strength! Now ain't tha-"

"Mate? The bottle opener broke." Junkrat held up the broken opener. Demoman looked slightly peeved that Junkrat interrupted his story.

"Ugh.. fine! Let's go git a new one!" Demoman and Junkrat stood up and started walking to the door of the apartment. As they walked past a window, something suspicious caught Junkrat's eye. He froze, and quickly rushed to the closet where he kept all of their explosive weapons. "What? What is it matey?" Demoman asked. Junkrat returned with all their gear.

"It's bad mate. I just saw a van full of Talon operatives drive past us!" Junkrat handed Demoman his weapons. "I recognized the satellite dish on the van. I made it for them." Demoman quickly understood the situation and geared up with Junkrat.

"Here I was thinkin' that we could get a quiet break." Demoman groaned. Junkrat brought a box of grenades and bombs over, and the two loaded their weapons.

* * *

"It's about time you showed up." Reaper said. He was sitting beside four other Talon gunmen, and an equally deadly operative. "Where have you been?"

"Tieing up loose ends." The mysterious operative responded with a Mexican accent. She was playing with bits of data that she threw around in her hand. Reaper scowled behind his mask.

"If you're going to keep that playful attitude through this entire mission, I bet that you won't last five minutes." Reaper berated. The operative rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry Mr. Grumpy. I've got this covered." She retracted all the bits of data into her hand and looked at Reaper.

"Hmmph. You better not mess up now Sombra."

* * *

"Alright...They should be coming down this road in 30 seconds." Junkrat reported. He and Demoman have booby trapped the only road that the van could go through with mines and stickybombs. They hid in the bushes, ready to detonate their explosives. The headlights of the van came into view as the duo put their thumbs over their detonators.

"NOW!" The buttons were pressed, and the van was sent skywards with a deafening boom. Demoman and Junkrat came out of their hiding spot and looked up. The armoured van didn't blow up, but it was propelled into the night sky by the blast. They watched as the van came crashing down in a nearby field. Junkrat was giddy with excitement.

"Ohh that blast was lovely! It was like sweet music to my ears!" Junkrat ranted as the duo approached the wrecked van. Suddenly, a black mist seeped out of the van. Junkrat immediately knew who that was. "It's Reaper!" he shouted, and tackled Demoman down just as the mist materialized into a cloaked figure and shot a shotgun blast over their heads. Demoman shot a barrage of grenades at Reaper, who turned back into a mist and floated away. Junkrat quickly covered the wreckage of the van with mines and blew it to smithereens to kill any more survivors.

Demoman noticed that his bombs had no effect on the mist, so he switched weapons and covered the ground with a layer of stickybombs. Reaper saw the bombs being placed and, seeing that he had nowhere else to go, flew up close to Demoman to materialize. Demoman took out Eyelander and slashed at Reaper, cutting off some fingers. Reaper recoiled in pain as he turned back into mist. He looked at the crater that Junkrat had turned the armoured van into. All four of his men had died in the explosion. He floated to their soul orbs that they have left behind and started to absorb them to heal.

Just as Reaper floated into the crater and materialized, he felt a shot of pain in his leg. He looked down to see a steel trap firmly clamped to his ankle. Junkrat stuck his head into the crater and gave a devilish grin. He fired grenades into the crater as Reaper widened his eyes in desperation. He heard the ticking of the bombs as he braced himself for the blast, but suddenly, the ticking stopped. Junkrat quickly looked beside him. Sombra faded into view with a submachine gun aimed at him. One hand was streaming purple stings onto the bombs, disabling them. Reaper smiled and pried the trap off his leg. Junkrat leapt to the side as the gunfire whizzed past his head. Demoman snuck up behind Sombra with his Eyelander raised, but took a shotgun blast to the side from Reaper, who was in perfect shape from the soul orbs that he absorbed. Reaper crawled out of the crater and aimed his shotgun at Demoman's head while Sombra was fighting Junkrat.

"Next time, stay out of the way." Reaper put his finger on the trigger, and fired. Suddenly, Reaper's shotgun pellets were all evaporated mid-flight, giving Demoman enough time to shove Reaper off and to shoot a grenade at him. The blast sent Reaper sprawling onto the ground with bits of shrapnel embedded in his chest. He quickly turned back into mist and floated away. Demoman looked up to see a gigantic pink mech, with a person waving to him through a green windshield. "Hana?" Demoman asked. Hana gave a wink.

"That's right! I thought you might need some help babe!" Demoman marveled at Hana's mech. She never told him anything about her being a badass mech pilot. Hana blew him a kiss and flew over to help Junkrat fight Sombra.

Junkrat was confused. Every mine he would place gets disarmed. Every grenade he shot gets rendered harmless. He didn't even bother to try and use his RIP-Rocket, as it was fairly obvious what would happen. Junkrat already took several bullet wounds when Hana and Demoman charged in. Sombra saw them and smiled. A giant pink mech? That was her specialty. Her purple energy beams latched onto Hana's mech and caused it to stop working.

"W-what?" Hana tried to move her mech, but to no avail. Suddenly, SMG bullets started hitting her windshield. Hana ejected from her mech just before the bullets shredded it, initializing a self-destruct. The mech vibrated with energy as it prepared to detonate itself. Sombra calmly attached her purple beams to it again, canceling the self-destruct. Hana watched in frustration. Who was this new enemy that could manipulate technology? Demoman charged forward, launching grenades at Sombra. The purple beams were on him now. Sombra expected that his bombs would end up like Junkrat's, but they were unaffected by her beams. She quickly sidestepped a grenade just as it whizzed by her head. Now she knew that whatever was in Demoman's grenades was too old fashioned for her to hack. She returned fire as grenades exploded around her. Demoman and Hana focused their shots. Seeing that she was outmatched, Sombra turned invisible. Hana was shocked, but Demoman knew exactly what to do. He had dealt with this before.

"Well, I guess we lost her." Demoman said rather loudly. Hana was shocked.

"What? You can't be giving up now Tavish!" she retorted.

"I don't see how we can bloody find her." Demoman heard the faint sound of decloaking coming from behind him. Bingo.

Demoman suddenly slashed behind him with his Eyelander, cutting Sombra's face. He pulled out his grenade launcher as Sombra stumbled back in pain and shot one at her. Before it hit, Sombra teleported away, leaving behind nothing but pink particles. Demoman sighed, yet another Talon operative escaped. Junkrat suddenly lunged forward from behind Demoman, grabbed his dropped detonator, and gave it a good press. The sound of an explosion was heard in the distance, along with a pained scream. Junkrat smiled.

"I was wonderin' what that bloody thing was back there." he mused. "Probably a teleporter of some sorts, so I put a mine there just in case." Junkrat looked to the distance where the explosion was. "We're never gonna see her ugly mug again." He then turned to Hana. "Dva ! Why didn't you tell us that you were droppin' in?" Dva shrugged.

"I just...thought that I'd check in on you two while you were out." responded. Demoman looked at them in surprise.

"Hold on… you two know each other?" Demoman asked. Dva giggled.

"Of course! We work for the same organization! How wouldn't we babe?" Now it was Junkrat's turn to be shocked.

"Did you just call him babe? Are you two... in a...relationship?" Demoman looked at Dva, who nodded.

"Yes we are." Demoman said as Dva leaned on his shoulder. Junkrat scratched his head, confused.

"Huh...weird. I always thought that you were more of a bachelor mate!" Junkrat laughed. "I'm ok with it. You two lovebirds have fun. I'll just be the third wheel." Junkrat joked.

"Alright, but now we need to get back on topic." Dva cleared her throat. "Killing a high level Talon operative is sure to get you two back in Overwatch. We should go see Soldier 76 and tell him about this." Dva walked away from Demoman and pressed a button on her wrist. "Plus, I also fear that Talon's tech has gotten stronger as well, being able to disable bombs and mechs in an instant…" she stopped talking as a new mech dropped in from above. She climbed in and took control. "Climb on. I'll give you guys a lift back to HQ." Demoman and Junkrat climbed onto Dva's mech as the trio started their long journey back home.

* * *

It was all so sudden. As soon as Sombra came through the teleporter, trying to wipe the blood from her face, an explosion sent her flying, blowing her legs off. Her cries of pain lasted for a while, before she passed out from blood loss. She woke up later on an operating table. The pain in her leg sockets was immense. She looked down, only to see a new pair of robotic legs where her legs once were. She looked to the side to see Reaper approach her with a cast on his chest. He looked kind of funny with that huge piece of plaster slowing his movements. "What are you looking at." Reaper growled. "I saved your life back there. If you're gonna laugh at my good deed, I may as well end you right now." Sombra stopped giggling. Reaper saved her?

"No way." She thought. "Reaper isn't a man anymore." As he started to walk away, he said one last thing.

"You know, I used to be in Overwatch. Those years have taught me one thing that still stays to this very day." Reaper looked over his shoulder at Sombra. "You never leave a comrade to die, because they have sacrificed as much as you have to be in that situation." Reaper walked out of the room, leaving Sombra alone in the darkness.


	8. Chapter 8: No Biggie

**Chapter 8: No Biggie**

"We will have good time, yes?" Heavy said. Roadhog looked up at him. He was loading Sasha with fresh ammo while cleaning the barrel. "I hope that future world has more itty bitty men to crush. I worried that I had run out in the past!" Heavy said jokingly. Roadhog was cleaning his hook and loading his gun with gnarled scraps of metal. Heavy frowned. Usually he was the quieter one on the team, but now it seems that he has a contender. Heavy looked up at Roadhog's gas mask. "Are you not excited for glorious battle?" He asked. "We are to fight alongside each other like comrades, mowing down little baby Talon men, and this is how you react?" Heavy sighed. This must be what Scout felt like when he was going on and on with some topic no one else cared about. Roadhog carefully hitched his hook on his belt and snapped his gun shut.

"Why should I tell you?" Roadhog wheezed. "You keep talking about the glory, but I'm in it for the sheer bloody thrill." Roadhog stood up, grabbed his hook, and looked at Heavy, who also stood up. "Just stay out of my way." Heavy frowned and spun Sasha up while Roadhog put his hand on his hook. They both gave a battle cry as the door to their transport was opened.

Outside, Talon gunmen and Overwatch infantry were raining hell on each other. Ever since Junkrat, Hana, and Demoman returned with news of the new Talon tech, Winston and Soldier 76 ordered a massive attack on the Talon R&D labs, especially since the UN have been generously supplying Overwatch with more men and resources then ever. 10 Overwatch operatives, including Heavy and Roadhog, were sent to accompany the basic infantry in the main assault. Heavy and Roadhog rushed out of the transport with their weapons at the ready. Roadhog immediately threw out his hook and snagged a small Talon gunner drone out of the air. He pulled it close to him and demolished it with a single blast of scrap metal. Heavy opened fire and watched as a crowd of Talon soldiers were shredded down to size in front of him. With the drone down and the front line weakened, the Overwatch soldiers pushed towards the R&D labs, with Heavy and Roadhog leading the charge.

"Hello! Heavy! Roadhog!" A German voice cried out from behind. The duo looked, and saw Medic and Mercy rushing to the front with them. They both firmly attached their healing beams to them, sealing any small bullet wounds that they been afflicted with in the charge. "Heavy! How nice it is to see you here!" Medic exclaimed. Heavy smiled.

"You too, doctor." Heavy looked at Mercy, all while continuing to lead the charge. "Are you doctor's new friend?" Mercy looked up, and nodded. Roadhog pulled Heavy's attention back to the field. A Talon super-gunship flew into view and started to rain hell on the Overwatch soldiers, pelting the ground below with missiles and machine gun fire. Medic quickly deployed his projectile shield, protecting everyone around him. Roadhog threw out his hook and grabbed the gunship by the tail. He pulled with all his might as the gunship tried to fly away.

"Heavy! Shoot that gunship down!" Roadhog yelled, struggling to maintain his grip. Heavy revved up and unleashed a barrage of bullets, effectively shredding its engines. As the super-gunship struggled to stay airborne, Roadhog gave one final tug, and the gunship crashed to the ground. Mercy quickly flew to the area that suffered the most Overwatch casualties, raised her hand to the air, and gave her trademark motto:

"HEROES NEVER DIE!"

About half of all the dead soldiers were revived in a flash of yellow light. Medic looked behind him. "You two stay here. I must...ugh...help my fraulein vith the vounded." Medic sighed as he rushed to Mercy. Heavy lowered Sasha and sat on the ground. Roadhog pulled out a canister, quickly unscrewed it, and inhaled the yellow gases inside. Heavy watched him.

"What is that?" Heavy asked. Roadhog wiped his mask.

"None of your business." Roadhog grunted. Heavy shrugged and reached into his backpack. He took out a small lunch box, pulled out his Sandvich and took a loud bite, attracting Roadhog's attention. "Seriously? A sandwich." Heavy looked up at a confused Roadhog. "Why are you eating a sandwich?"

"None of your business." Heavy mimicked. Roadhog sighed and took out one of his canisters of yellow gas. He pointed to a slice of Heavy's Sandvich.

"I'll trade you." Roadhog offered as he tossed his canister. Heavy smiled and caught it. He handed Roadhog the Sandvich as he unscrewed the lid of the canister. He peered inside. Swirls of dense yellow gas started to seep out. Heavy quickly put the canister up to his mouth and inhaled.

There was a sort of sensation that Heavy was very familiar with. The feeling of Medic's medigun beam. It was pleasant, but not to the point of being addictive. It relieved all pain and filled you with the will to keep fighting. These exact feelings were what he felt when he inhaled the gases in the canister, except tenfold. "OOOOOOHHHHHH..." Heavy groaned as the gases mingled with his brain. He quickly threw the canister down and sat, holding his head. "That...that is strong..." Heavy panted. He glanced at Roadhog, who has been looking at him with amusement.

"All right. My turn." Roadhog peeled his mask off to eat the Sandvich, allowing Heavy to get a good look at his face. It was burnt. Badly. One eye was forced shut due to all the scar tissue, which also gave his nose a pig-like appearance. Heavy continued to stare as Roadhog bit into the Sandvich. A look of satisfaction appeared on Roadhog's distorted face as he chewed the Sandvich. "Heh. Pretty nice." he grunted, but Heavy took no notice.

"Your face… what happened?" Heavy asked. Roadhog focused his beady, burnt eyes at Heavy, making him feel something that he never felt before: unsteadiness.

"Again, why should I tell you?" Roadhog put his mask back on as he stood back up. "We gotta move. The Talon guys must've regrouped by now." Roadhog shoved a heap of scrap metal into his gun as Heavy packed up his lunch box and bag. Just as they packed up, Mercy came back to them.

"It seems zhat zhe vounded are too many. Ve have to stay behind for now, but you two should press zhe attack." Mercy suggested. Heavy and Roadhog gave a nod in return. "Don't vorry, ve vill catch up later." Mercy gave them a smile as she quickly ran back to help Medic. Heavy picked up Sasha and rushed forward with Roadhog towards the Talon R&D labs.

* * *

"YAAAAAAAAH! RATATATATATA! Ah ha ha!" Heavy yelled as he shredded a group of Talon gunmen with minigun bullets. Roadhog laughed maniacally as he hooked drones out of the sky, obliterating them with blasts of scrap metal as he pulled them close. The two powerhouses pushed towards the main gates of the R&D labs, mowing down any defences that stood in their way. A trail of dead bodies, scrap metal, and bullet shells was left in their wake as they shot, hooked, and blasted their way through the crowd of soldiers. Finally, Heavy and Roadhog reached the main lab doors. Roadhog worked on the door while Heavy fought off any remaining resistance. At last, every single Talon gunman either fled or was killed. Heavy lowered Sasha and went to check up on Roadhog, who was trying to smash the door in. Roadhog reached to his belt and brought his scrap gun out. He shoved a top loader full of coarse shrapnel, put it in the hole on top of his gun, and cranked the handle on the side. Deafening blasts of metal spouted out of Roadhog's gun, which knocked the door down instantly. Immediately, gunfire rang out as the lab's security guards tried make their last stand. However, the combined firepower of Roadhog's blasts of shrapnel and Heavy's minigun immediately shredded the security guards and knocked them around like ragdolls. Suddenly, a glint of light caught Heavy's eye. He instantly recognized it and quickly tackled Roadhog to the ground just as a sniper's bullet grazed past their heads. "Sniper!" Heavy shouted.

"Go go go!" Roadhog ordered. Heavy and Roadhog franticly pranced towards the nearest barricade, dodging sniper rounds on the way. They quickly pressed their backs against the cold concrete as the sniper bullets slowly chipped away at it. Roadhog noticed one of the bullets that lodged itself into the floor near him. It had a spider etched onto it, an image that Roadhog was all too familiar with. "Widowmaker…" Heavy looked at him.

"That was not the Widowmaker attacking us! Widowmaker is shotgun that Engineer uses!" Roadhog looked at Heavy with a confused expression. "...am I wrong?"

"Widowmaker is one of Talon's best snipers. She's here now." Roadhog watched Heavy's face light up in surprise.

"Ohhh… I don't like snipers." Heavy groaned. Roadhog nodded in agreement. "So...I have plan. It might work." Heavy leaned next to Roadhog's ear and whispered his plan to him. Roadhog nodded, and unhitched his hook from his belt while Heavy took his backpack off. Heavy quickly threw his backpack into the air as a distraction and shined a flashlight onto it. A bullet tore through the pack, scattering the minigun ammo that it was holding. The light from Heavy's military grade flashlight bounced off the bullets and caused the golden shells to glitter, momentarily blinding Widowmaker. Roadhog took this opportunity to quickly throw his hook to reel in Sasha, who had been dropped by Heavy while he was tackling Roadhog. Heavy picked Sasha back up, stood, and fired a hail of bullets at Widowmaker's hideout.

Widowmaker quickly shot out her grappling hook and escaped just as the bullets destroyed the hideout. She unhooked herself and landed behind some crates. She fired a toxic mine at Heavy, who took no notice of the tiny projectile. The mine landed near him and exploded into a cloud of poison. Heavy gagged and fell to his knees, coughing. Widowmaker took advantage of this momentary ceasefire to take aim at Heavy's head as he staggered to the ground. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a metal chain behind her. She quickly turned around to see Roadhog's hook approaching her at high speed. She quickly took a shot at Roadhog, hitting him in the arm, however, the hook made contact and reeled her in. Before Roadhog could make the killing blow, a dart embedded itself into Widowmaker's arm, knocking her out cold. Roadhog dropped her in surprise and looked in the direction where the dart came from. He saw Heavy holding a dart gun.

"Why'd you steal my kill?" Roadhog asked, feeling a bit annoyed. Heavy put his dart gun away.

"Doctor and his girlfriend told me that if I saw a blue sniper girl, I needed to capture her and not kill her." Heavy explained. "They said that she used to be Overwatch agent's wife, and they want to treat her." Roadhog looked confused for a moment, and nodded.

"I'm guessing that they won't let me do it cause they think I'd kill her first." Heavy looked up, surprised at Roadhog's sudden bout of self-pity.

"What do you mean by that?" Heavy asked. Roadhog paused, as if debating whether to respond or not.

"You wanna know how I got these scars?" Roadhog peeled his mask off once more, exposing his marred face. "I used to live a normal life. I had a home, a wife,...a...child…we were in debt." Heavy listened intently. "Then, I made someone angry by failing to pay my debts, and they...burnt my house down... with everyone inside it. I tried to save my family...but all I managed to escape with...was my life…and these scars." Roadhog quietly weeped as he uncovered memories that he buried long ago. "I put on this mask to hide my shame. I joined the Junkers later after the Omnic crisis. They were the only people who accepted my past." Roadhog threw his hook onto the ground in front of Heavy. "They were the ones who taught me how to use this hook. They taught me how to never feel helpless ever again." Roadhog reeled his hook back in and put his mask back on. "I hide myself behind a maniac, but what would you know of that?" Heavy put a hand on Roadhog's shoulder.

"My friend… I know all too well." Heavy said. "When I was young man, my family and I was put into gulag for helping rebels in Siberia. We were battered down everyday, until I had enough. They had beat my father to death and fed him to guard dogs. I organized breakout with fellow inmates, and we avenged my father." Heavy remised. "I remember...a little girl had her mother shot in front of her. Little Zaryanova... I carried her outside with the rest of my family as the police burnt down gulag, killing everyone but my family and little Zaryanova." Roadhog lowered his head. Heavy smiled. "So don't worry. You're not alone." Just as he finished talking, Medic and Mercy burst into the facility with the rest of the infantry.

"Ohh! Very nice! I see zhat you two have cleaned house!" Medic then turned to some Overwatch soldiers. "Plant zhe charges. Time to blow zhis place to zhe ground!" As the soldiers got to work, Mercy came over to Roadhog to retrieve Widowmaker.

"Oh...Amelie…" She said as Roadhog laid her onto the ground. "Ve vill treat you. I swear…" Mercy called for two soldiers to carry the stretcher to a transport. Mercy turned her head and looked at Heavy and Roadhog. "Come on, let's get out of here before it blows." Mercy led Heavy and Roadhog out of the lab as Overwatch soldiers started to wire it with explosives. A pair of soldiers carried Widowmaker's stretcher to a medical transport. As they arrived at their transport, Mercy left them to help Medic. Roadhog piped up.

"You wanna know why I stay so quiet?" Roadhog asked as Heavy and him boarded their transport. Heavy looked at him and nodded. "I say that I kill for the thrill, but I really do it...to see the pain on other people's faces. Then the people who care about them can know that their loved ones died painfully… just like my wife." Heavy put a hand on Roadhog's shoulder.

"Don't worry friend. I did that to. During gulag breakout, inmates and I tortured all the guards for days until the police came. We did it so they can feel the pain they gave us." Heavy said. Roadhog looked slightly more comforted. Heavy's expression darkened. "However, a few guards did escape. Our handlers managed to get out before the rest." He looked back at Roadhog. "But now that I have dog tags, I can track them down and get revenge." He smiled. "You know, we are more alike than it seems!" Roadhog chuckled lightheartedly.

"Yeah. I guess so."


	9. Chapter 9: The Oldest Hero

**Chapter 9: The Oldest Hero**

Back in the past, Engineer knew his place on the team. He had a sense of purpose then. He fit in and did his job like a gear in a machine. Now he wasn't so sure. "Mr. Conagher! Many of my turrets were based off your design! Of course, they don't kill nearly as fast as yours! I would be honored to know your opinion!" Torbjorn quickly led Engineer to one of his turrets, waiting eagerly for feedback. Engineer sighed.

"Lemme just say, there is nothin' in the world that I love more than lookin' at deadly weaponry, but I need to ask somethin' that's been on my mind ever since I got here." Torbjorn looked slightly disappointed, but soon regained his posture.

"Anything you want sir." Engineer cleared his throat.

"Who am I in this era?" Engineer asked. Torbjorn's eyes widened in surprise.

"...Sir...I thought you knew!" Torbjorn pulled a stool from his workbench over and sat down.

"Years ago, the Omnic Crisis tore our world apart. There was no one to stop them. Back then, I was a weaponsmith for the Swedish Army. One day, while looking over some weapon blueprints stolen from the Deadlock Gang in a recent raid, one set in particular stood out from the rest. Curiosity got the better of me and I stole them. I took them home to try and decipher the unusually advanced scientific gibberish on those prints. Before me were plans for deadly turrets and teleportation devices the likes of which not even Vishkar could dream of. I found that those blueprints belonged to one 'Dell Conagher'. I embarked on a small man-hunt, and finally located you in Bee Cave, Texas. You were running a weapon shop. I learned of your past career and encouraged you to help with the Omnic crisis. A few weeks later, Overwatch was founded by three people. Jack Morrison, Gabriel Reyes, and you. I swiftly joined Overwatch and found myself under your tutelage. You taught me how to be an engineer on the field. How to make deployable turrets and other gadgets. I never mastered your ways, but I got close."

Engineer was shocked at Torbjorn's story. Was he really going to build an international peacekeeping team to fight robots? "Well then...d'you know where I can find myself now? I'd like to speak with me." Engineer asked.

"I wish I knew where you ran off to. After the Omnic Crisis was over, you vanished. You didn't even show up to the award ceremony." Torbjorn explained. Engineer suddenly got a thought.

"I know exactly where I'd run off to after killin' a bunch of robots." Engineer took a radio from Torbjorn's desk and radioed Soldier 76. "Sir. Me and Torbjorn are requestin' a transport be waitin' for us at the airstrip. We have a lead."

* * *

"This place hasn't changed one bit." Engineer and Torbjorn strolled through the dusty plains of the Texan Midwest. They approached a small town. "Welcome to Cowpoke." Torbjorn looked at what was set before his eyes. It was like a western movie brought to life. Cowboys on horseback with six-shooters galloped through the sandy street. Women in bonnets and dresses were fetching water from barrels while children played "cowboys and indians" on the trail. Old geezers with coach-styled shotguns cradled in their arms sat asleep on rocking chairs under their front porches. Old timey piano music was playing at a local saloon, accompanied by the hoots and hollers of drunk cowboys. "In my time, this was the one town in all of Texas that refused to use modern ways. They've vowed to always be traditional...I guess they did it. They've even kept themselves off any official map!" Engineer and Torbjorn got some suspicious glances from a group of cowboys as they strolled through the only street in the town. Torbjorn's robotic claw and engine backpack was drawing a lot of attention.

"Hey!" Torbjorn and Engineer turned around. An old man in a cowboy hat walked up the middle of the street with a six-shooter in hand. "Are you two construction workers lookin' to build over this 'ere town?" The old man spat his chewing tobacco onto the ground. "I've got news for you sonny. We've already denied propositions from Overwatch, Talon, Vishcar, Volskaya, and Lumerico. What makes you two think that we'll let you build over the last little bit of the old west?" Engineer turned around.

"Listen buddy. We don't want no trouble. We're here lookin' for someone." The old man aimed his revolver at Torbjorn and Engineer, causing them to draw their weapons.

"Well...lookie here! We've got ourselves a fellow countryman boys!" Five more six-shooter wielding cowboys joined the old man. "Tell me sonny, what sorta deal did those modernizing scumbag companies make to turn a fine Texan such as yourself into their plaything?" The old man took a look at the gun Engineer was holding. An old coach styled shotgun with engravings on the side and a battery attached to the side. "That there shotgun…" The old man lowered his six-shooter and motioned for the cowboys to do the same. A look of surprise slowly filled the old man's face. "Wh-w-what do you call that shotgun?" Engineer looked confused.

"I call it the Frontier Justice. Why d'you want to know?" The old man gasped.

"What did you spend your earlier years doin'?"

"I worked in the Texas oilfields."

"How many PhDs do you have and in what category?"

"11, all in the sciences."

"Dispense-O-Matic…"

"9000." Engineer was getting a good idea about who he was talking to. The old man smiled and got his cowboys to back off. He approached Engineer with outstretched arms.

"So...did lil' Torbjorn already invent time travel?" The old man looked beside Engineer. "T-Torby?" Torbjorn held out his arms.

"Did you miss me, old friend?" Torbjorn asked. The old man smiled.

"C'mon. Let's talk over some whiskeys." He said.

"1870 distilled?"

"Heck yes."

* * *

The trio got extra special seats right in front of the pianist. The saloon was filled with cowboys and ladies square dancing to the pianist's tunes while other cowboys cheered them on. Torbjorn was ecstatic. "My god! I really feel as if I'm in a western movie!" Torbjorn grabbed his glass of whiskey and took a swig. The old man laughed at Torbjorn's excitement.

"I told you! The old western lifestyle's the real lifestyle!" The old man took a sip from his whiskey. "Drink it in fellas." Torbjorn finished his whiskey in one chug while Engineer only took a medium sized gulp. A lady danced up to their table.

"My my! You're such a handsome little man! C'mon!" The lady dragged a drunk Torbjorn out of his seat to join the dance. "Let's dance!" Torbjorn drunkenly laughed as the lady and him took to the center of the floor. Engineer and the old man looked on with amusement. Engineer then turned his attention back to the old man.

"So...you're me in the future." Engineer took a good look at his future self. He had somehow managed to grow some hair around the sides, even in his old age. He grew a decent amount of facial hair that fit the look of the cigar in his mouth. In other words, he looked a bit like his grandfather, Radigan Conagher, except more badass.

"Yup. I'm you. Just older." Old Engineer cleared his throat. "Now, I'm thinkin' that you must be lookin' for answers 'ere." Engineer nodded.

"I'd like to know how I started Overwatch. What made me suddenly care about fighting for the greater good?" Engineer asked. Old Engineer took another gulp of his whiskey before responding.

"After the end of the whole Grey Mann crisis, Saxton Hale had no need for the team to stick around. He decided to fire us on the spot. Everyone went their separate ways. I heard Hale died durin' his fiftieth annual Jungle Slaughter Safari. By now, everyone else on the team has died either in freak accidents or by old age. I lived this long 'cause I built myself an Australium Life Support device." Old Engineer rolled up his sleeve to reveal a miniscule yellow machine latched onto his arm. "When the Omnic crisis broke out, I took one good look at what we were up against and laughed my sorry ass off. Them Omnics had at most a quarter of the killin' potential of Gray Mann's robots. I'm sure you remember. Thinkin' that if 6 men could stop waves of rocket spammin' giants, the world's armies got this little breakout of creampuffs under control. So I just sat back and watched. Turns out that the world didn't handle it so well. Them Omnics were threatening humanity at its very roots. I couldn't believe my eyes. The entire world was being destroyed by some machine guns on legs. After Torbjorn gave me a bit of encouragement, I packed up my gear and enlisted. I stopped entire waves of these trash cans all by myself. Right then, I saw how weak the world's armies were. Usin' my newly built reputation, I called the most elite soldiers in the world to my side. We all agreed on one thing. The world was weak. Overwatch was founded then and we stopped the Omnic Crisis within weeks." Old Engineer took another sip of whiskey. "I guess you could say that I founded Overwatch out of pity."

Engineer smirked. Overwatch was actually just the world's largest facepalm. He turned around to look at the square dance, but noticed that Torbjorn was missing. "Hey. Lil' Torby's gone off!" Old Engineer looked over.

"Welp. Better go find him before he runs off too far with that lady." Just as they stood up, Torbjorn burst through the saloon doors in a panic.

"OMNICS! HERE!" He shouted. Everything in the saloon came to a halt. Engineer and Old Engineer rushed outside with Torbjorn. It was already sundown. There, they saw a wave of Bastion units marching towards the town over the horizon. Old Engineer immediately started barking orders.

"Engie! Torby! Get set up! We've gotta hold this town!" Engineer and Torbjorn nodded and rushed to opposite sides of the town, plopping down their turrets. Old Engineer rushed back in the saloon. "Listen 'ere folks! There's a huge wave of robots comin' to this town! They're gonna burn this place to the ground! I need as much men as possible to help us defend-" Right after Old Engineer got the words out of his mouth, the cowboys gave a holler as they picked up their revolvers and rifles. They rushed outside, alerting the town and taking positions. In just a few minutes, every able-bodied man in the town was locked and loaded. Even the old geezers were swearing at the Bastions in the distance, shotguns at the ready. Old Engineer smiled and proceeded to head to the west side of the town to get set up.

"I'm ready!" Engineer yelled. It was a small enough town for Torbjorn and Old Engineer to hear each other.

"Let's make some scrap!" Torbjorn shouted. The wave of Bastions closed in. The cowboys with hunting rifles fired the first shots, accurately blowing the heads off some Bastions. Torbjorn's turret locked on and fired, putting holes in the Bastion's chests. Engineer and Old Engineer brought out their Wranglers and took control of their sentries. They unleashed a barrage of machine gun bullets and missiles on the incoming horde. All this combined firepower was enough to push the Bastions back a bit. They responded by going into turret form and shooting them from afar, where their weapons were the least accurate. The hunting rifle cowboys continued firing, but a few stray bullets managed to pick some of them off. They quickly hid behind some barrels to regroup. While the cowboys hid, the Bastions started their push again. The turret and the sentries did a good job of holding the Bastions back, but they finally managed to get withing accurate shooting distance of the town. A group of cowboys made a valiant charge, firing their revolvers and shotguns while throwing sticks of dynamite. The Bastions made short work of the cowboys in the front line, causing the rest of them to find cover wherever they can. The sticks of dynamite blew up groups of Bastions, but others soon took their place.

The Bastions came over the hill, only to be shredded by Torbjorn's turret. They tried to swamp it with numbers, but just before they did, Torbjorn pressed a button on his mechanical backpack. Flames shot out of the exhaust ports on his backpack as his turret gained a large amount of extra armor and rocket launchers. "MOLTEN COOOORE!" Torbjorn shouted. His turret turned the oncoming Bastions into metal bits. Torbjorn laughed over the sound of rockets and machine gun fire, helping his turret out by firing bits of molten metal. The Bastions examined this new threat, and retreated to try and attack from a different side of town. Torbjorn breathed a sigh of relief just as his molten core wore off. If those Bastions pressed their attack, Torbjorn would've been a goner.

* * *

"We've got incomin' boys!" Engineer shouted to a group of cowboys who were healing off of his dispencer. They quickly reloaded their revolvers and rifles and assembled behind their makeshift roadblock made of barrels, barbed wire, and tables from the saloon. The Bastions stormed over the hills, spraying bullets at the roadblock. Engineer took out his Wrangler and proceeded to mow down the Bastion's front lines with his sentry. Some Bastions converted into turret form while the others proceeded to charge. The turret Bastions sent a barrage of bullets at the sentry. Even with its damage nullifying shield, the sentry started to take some punishment. "NOW!" Engineer shouted. The cowboys leapt over their roadblock and instantly deployed rough metal shields to protect themselves. They slowly pushed their shields forward, firing shots whenever they can. This managed to distract the Bastions long enough for Engineer to make some quick repairs on his sentry. Once it was fixed, Engineer motioned for the cowboys to stop moving. The Wrangler was brought back out right as the turret Bastions needed to reload. The sniper cowboys on the roof peeked out and shot at the blue cores on the back of the turret Bastions, blowing them to bits. Engineer regained control of his sentry gun and proceeded to mow down ranks of Bastions. After suffering heavy casualties, the remaining Bastions retreated to try to approach the town from a different angle. Engineer and his group of cowboys saw the Bastions retreating and gave hoots and hollers of celebration.

* * *

Old Engineer could hear the two battles raging on the other sides of town. After he heard the cheers of Engineer and his cowboys, he motioned for his group of cowboys to get in position. Old Engineer calmly walked to his workshop nearby. He opened the door and entered a keycode into a nearby keypad. Once he pressed "enter", the walls of the room swapped themselves out to reveal various mechanical parts for a robotic suit. Old Engineer smiled. It was finally time to put his newest creation to the test. Meanwhile, the cowboys were worried about where Old Engineer went. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard coming from Old Engineer's workshop. The cowboys looked over, and felt their jaws instantly drop.

Old Engineer emerged from the rubble, clad in a modified set of Crusader Armor, which easily added ten feet to his height. He lumbered towards the stunned cowboys as they looked at what monstrosity Old Engineer has created. The armor had a pair of hulking miniguns attached to each wrist, along with rocket launchers. However, the most prominent weapon on the suit was the absurdly humongous dual revolvers. One revolver held six missile warheads and the other held 500 regular 50 cal bullets. Old Engineer stomped towards the frontier. He turned to talk to the saloon's Pianist. "Here." Old Engineer gently placed the Pianist's piano on the ground. "Play some saloon music. I'm gonna have the biggest barfight in the world." The Pianist started his song. The Bastions finally marched into view. In response, Old Engineer lifted up his warhead revolver and fired a shot. The warhead traveled as fast as a bullet and blew a gaping hole in the Bastion's ranks. Old Engineer gave a battle cry as he fired up the jet on the back of his armor and charged forward to the sound of the Pianist's music. Old Engineer waded into the crowd of Bastions, crushing them under the suit's gigantic feet. He revved up his 50 cal revolver and unleashed a hail of bullets, completely obliterating any Bastion in his line of sight. Missiles poured from the suit's wrists as the Bastions tried to shoot down Old Engineer. Their bullets bounced off the suit's tougher-than-diamond metal as Old Engineer mowed them down without effort. When he ran out of ammo, Old Engineer threw his away massive revolvers like tomahawks and proceeded to crush, pummel, and stomp the rest of the Bastions with extreme brutality. Five minutes later, Old Engineer had the very last Bastion in his hands. He watched as the Bastion vainly tried to squirm out of his grip. Old Engineer crushed the Bastion's head in his hand and watched as its body dropped to the ground. The cowboys had kept their distance from Old Engineer and his suit, fearing that if they joined the fight, they would get instantly stomped on like bugs. Old Engineer looked their way and lumbered over, causing the cowboys to back up and run away in fear. Engineer and Torbjorn saw the whole thing.

"Out of all the things in the world I could've invented... why did I wait so long to make somethin' so beautiful." Old Engineer turned around and saw Engineer and Torbjorn, eyes wide with marvel as they examined Old Engineer's suit.

"I-I-I'm at a loss for words…" Torbjorn stuttered. "Wait until Reinhardt sees this! He'll be so jealous!" Old Engineer took off the helmet and smiled.

"Well...he won't have to wait long to see this suit. I feel that I'm no longer accepted in ol' Cowpoke anymore." Old Engineer pointed to the town. "I saw the fear in their eyes when I showed them this 'ere suit. By now, I reckon they already spread the word and voted to chase me out of town." Old Engineer sighed. He then took out his old Construction PDA and built a teleporter entrance. "Past me! Recalibrate this 'ere teleporter to match the frequency of the ones back at HQ. You two can get straight back this way." Engineer nodded and dutifully adjusted a small knob on the bottom of the teleporter with his wrench. Torbjorn suddenly piped up.

"Why did a hoard of Omnics attack us? Why would they target such a small town?" Old Engineer smiled.

"Because if I went back to Overwatch, I'd bring this suit back with me." Old Engineer explained. "Those Bastions were probably hacked by Talon. They don't want their enemy to get monstrosities like this, so they tried to shut me down. You two came just in the nick of time." Suddenly, Old Engineer's eyes lit up as a mischievous grin spread across his face. "...but them dolts never would've guessed that I ain't even thinkin' about going' back!" Torbjorn's cheerful expressions slipped off their faces.

"What!? Mr. Conagher! I-I must insist that you come back with us! With that upgraded Crusader Armour, you will be a huge asset!" He explained feverishly. Engineer chuckled and shook his head.

"I get where you're coming' from. I'm sure you've had enough world savin' for one lifetime." Old Engineer nodded.

"Well, good to know I was still a smart boy 200 years ago!" He remarked. His expression soon turned serious. "For all my life, I've been fightin'. First for gravel, then for the South, then for the world... These old bones are sick and tired of makin' murder machines for other people." Torbjorn paused, carefully considering Old Engineer's words.

"I see... If that's how you feel, then I understand." He said solemnly. "Well, we should get going. Best of luck to you, Mr. Conagher." Engineer and Torbjorn gave one last wave and went through the teleporter without another word. Old Engineer climbed out of his suit and turned to the town. "LISTEN 'ERE! Y'ALL ARE GOOD PEOPLE! IF YOU EVER NEED TO EVER PROTECT YOURSELVES AGAIN, I'M LEAVIN' THIS SUIT BEHIND! ANY OF YOU CAN WORK IT!" Old Engineer shouted. He waited for a moment, but there was no response. He smirked. These people were too afraid of new tech. He kept that thought in his head as he left the barren town of Cowpoke, destroying the teleporter entrance.

* * *

It was late at night. The suit had been sitting there for a week straight, the desert sand getting into its joints. No one in Cowpoke dared to touch it. However, Tom Dixon was in tough times. His house was destroyed in the Bastion attack a week before. This left him as a beggar, someone that the proud folk of Cowpoke simply couldn't tolerate. After a week of sleeping outside, he made a last ditch attempt to make some money. He snuck outside that night and carefully donned the armor. He knew exactly where he was taking it.

It turns out, the Deadlock Gang was a close ally to the town of Cowpoke. Had Old Engineer known this, he would have never had settled down there in the first place. When they saw the giant mechanized behemoth lumbering to their HQ, it sent them into a brief panic. However, when the suit's pilot said that he wanted to talk to their leader, they realized that they may have just gotten a powerful asset.

The final deal was $3,000,000. Tom took the money and left. The Deadlock Gang's leader, Ashe, immediately sent contracts to factories across America to manufacture parts for this suit. She smiled. That boy has no idea what he just did. Ashe could see it now: Mechanized suits...no...Deadsuits marching across Washington DC, demolishing the American flag and planting her own insignia in its place. Ashe chuckled and took a long drag from her cigarette. America was now at her feet.


	10. Chapter 10: Uncanny Medicine

**Chapter 10: Uncanny Medicine**

Her body is so warm. Medic relished the feeling of Mercy's lips on his own, his fingers working their way slowly up Mercy's thin body. Mercy felt Medic frisking around and pressed her breasts up against his muscular chest. Medic took off Mercy's witch hat and threw it aside, while Mercy peeled off Medic's ripped shirt. They both fell to the soft bed, kissing and touching each other in a sensual manner. Mercy let Medic roll on top of her as Medic started to pull off her stockings, revealing her perfect legs. Mercy gasped as Medic started to kiss her inner thigh. She suddenly felt an urge like never before. She lept onto Medic's chest, causing him to yelp with surprise. Mercy pushed Medic to the other end of the bed and straddled him. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment. "Ich liebe dich." Medic whispered. Mercy responded with another kiss. Mercy felt as if her lips would just melt into his. She unzipped the back of her costume and let Medic take it off.

"I vant to make you feel good, meine geliebte." Mercy sighed. Medic smiled at the sight of Mercy's perfect body. He chuckled as he reached across the bed to the nightstand.

"Mein fräulein…" Medic murmured as he turned off the lamp.

 **About one month ago, in the training hall…**

"Vhat a curious facility you have here! Vould you be so kind as to direct me to zhe medical vard?" Mercy gingerly pointed towards the southern hall. "Ah, yes." Medic looked at her. Mercy was looking a bit weak. Her face was red and she looked very tense. "Erm, are you alright, fraulein?" Medic asked with concern Mercy gave a silent nod and lead Medic out of the main hall. In her head, thoughts were racing around wildly.

"He's so...charming. And he's German as vell! No one has ever made me feel like zhis." Mercy thought. She trailed behind Medic like a shy schoolgirl, trying to control her breathing and heart rate. "No. I can't let him seduce me. Ve are partners. He's not even from this time period! If I get attached to him, it will be more painful when he leaves." That thought managed to calm Mercy down a bit. Her took a deep breath and walked up to Medic's side. "My name is Angela. Angela Ziegler." She tried to stop her trembling as she extended a hand. Medic shook it with vigor.

"Diedrich. Diedrich Wolff." Medic replied. He put a hand up to Mercy's forehead. "You seem to be getting better...do you have some sort of self healing mechanism?" Mercy sighed in relief. Some talk about their work was sure to distract her.

"Yes. I have a biotic implant zhat uses nanobots and penicillin to help me recover from wounds." Mercy explained. As soon as she got the words out of her mouth, Medic burst into a fit of laughter. Mercy's face reddened. "D-did I say something wrong?" Mercy asked timidly.

"Ha! P-penicillin and nanobots!" Medic laughed as he wiped a tear from his eye. "I-I'm sorry! It's just...penicillin and nanobots?! I thought zhat my extensive research about zhe art of replacing human organs vith animal organs vould have carried on in a facility as advanced as zhis!" Mercy's eyes widened. She could not believe what she just heard.

"Vhat!? The replacement of human organs vith anything zhat's not another human organ is completely unethical! Both to zhe patient and zhe source of the other organ!" Mercy paused, looking at Medic's confused expression. He sighed.

"Vell. Let's see vhat other medical breakthroughs zhis organization is missing out on." Medic motioned for Mercy to follow him as the duo made their way to the medical ward.

* * *

"Vhat are your surgeons vorking on?" Medic peered through the window of the observation station eagerly. He was with Mercy observing an operation. Mercy was dressed in a white lab coat, giving her a much more authoritative look. In the operating room, a team of surgeons were operating on a man's chest.

"Zhat soldier is having intense heart problems. Ve don't know vhat is wrong vith his heart, but ve can't leave it alone for two seconds without something happening to it." Mercy explained. Medic took some time to examine the patient. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers as his face lightened up.

"Let me operate on him. I can fix his heart in no time." Medic demanded. Before Mercy could even say anything, Medic already raced out of the room. Mercy watched as Medic burst into the operating room with his medigun. She pressed her ear up to the glass to listen to what Medic was saying. "Let me through! I am an extremely skilled doctor! I have years of experience!" Medic said as he flashed his "Level 4 Clearance" badge. The surgeons swiftly moved out of the way as Medic started getting set up. Mercy watched with curiosity as Medic took off his medigun backpack, hung it from a stand, and placed his medigun in a surgeon's hands. "Push zhe lever, aim it at his chest, and don't move." Medic instructed. "I'll be back. Don't take the beam off his chest!." Medic rushed out of the operating room and ran back into the observation station.

"Vhat are you doing?! Zhis is highly against protocol!" Mercy scolded. Medic took no notice as he grabbed his cooler that he left in this room earlier. "Vhatever you're doing, it violates at least 23 basic protocols for operation on a-"

"Zhe protocols can burn in hell. I am making zhis man a god." Medic rebutted. Mercy was left stunned by this sudden burst of defiance. Medic raced out of the observation room and back into the operating room with the cooler in his hands. He placed the cooler on an operating tray and opened it. He dug through the layers of crushed ice and pulled out a giant heart, causing the surgeons to yelp in surprise. Mercy stood at the observation window, staring wide-eyed, thinking about the amount of protocols that have been broken in the last 30 seconds. Medic grinned. "Zhis...vill make zhis man a GOD!"

Medic grabbed a pair of scissors from the tray and snipped out the man's heart. "Keep zhat beam steady! It is zhe only thing keeping him alive!" The surgeon with the beam looked terrified, but obeyed. Medic pulled the man's heart out with a violent jerk. Blood started to squirt out of the man's chest, staining the ceiling. Medic grabbed the giant heart and jabbed a small device into it. He then stuffed the heart under the man's ribcage. "Now is zhe time, herr doctor! Press zhe red button on zhe side of zhe gun!"

The surgeon did as he was told, and pressed the button. Brilliant sparks of electricity flashed out of the medigun as the healing beam became more intense. A glowing shiny texture slowly started to coat the man's heart, making the device latched onto it kick into overdrive. The flesh in the chest cavity of the man started to grow back at a miraculous rate. Finally, the electric sparks dimmed and the healing beam returned to normal.

The surgeon who held the medigun looked visibly shaken. The rest of the surgeons were hiding behind a counter, far too confused to even make a move. Medic grinned as he took his medigun from the trembling surgeon. "Your patient vill vake up in a few moments. He vill find zhat his heart is completely treated. If he gets a sudden urge to claw his own chest open, just restrain him for a few hours." Medic dusted off his hands and turned to leave the stunned surgeons with their patient. "Oh and one more zhing, his blood pressure is a bit high. Did you see how far his blood squirted? You might vant to get someone to clean zhat up." Medic pointed to the ceiling. The surgeons looked up to see several dripping blood stains on the ceiling.

Medic calmly left the operating room and went back to the observation station. He opened to door to the station expecting to get showered with compliments from Mercy, but instead, he found her passed out on the floor. "Angela!" Medic cried. He immediately ran to her side with a syringe full of adrenaline he had in his pocket. He rolled up Mercy's lab coat sleeve and injected her with the shot. Mercy woke up with a loud gasp as she tried to steady her breathing. Mercy's expression of shock immediately turned into one of anger.

"How could you do zhis Diedrich? Have you no respect for zhe patient's life? Or even basic medical protocol?" Mercy yelled. Medic was taken back in shock. "I thought you vere a sensible doctor! I-"

"To be honest, I don't see vhat you are vorrying about." Medic said innocently. "Zhe man is alive and vell. He vill find zhat he vill never experience another heart problem of any kind ever again." Mercy's eyes widened.

"You said yourself zhat he vill vant to claw his own chest open for a few hours after he voke up!" Mercy rebutted.

"Is zhat not a small price to pay for a lifetime of guaranteed cardiac health and quintupled stamina?"

"Zhe heart you put in his chest vasn't even human!"

"Zhe only advantage humans have over animals is our minds. Everyvhere else, ve are inferior. Zhe heart of zhe mega-baboon is both compatible vith humans and is five times stronger!"

"Have you never considered basic ethic rights?"

"Ethics are zhe one thing holding medical progress back! I operated under my own rules in zhe past and have made my team gods! So maybe if you vere not such a crybaby over a few little broken rules, you vould have a team full of immortals! I suggest you stop being so narrow-minded and consider vhat is best in zhe long run dummkopf!" Medic snapped. Mercy gasped at Medic's insult. Medic slapped his hand over his mouth. Tears started to well up in Mercy's eyes. She slowly backed away and ran out of the observation room in a fit of silent sobs. "Angela!" Medic cried. He ran out of the room and looked down the hall. Mercy was gone.

* * *

The door to Mercy's room burst open as Mercy came running in, tears streaking down her face. She slammed the door behind her and collapsed face down on her bed. Memories of her deceased parents and her vow to be a staunch advocate for peace echoed in her head. Was it her childhood trauma that turned her into this by-the-book goody-two shoes? Was Diedrich right about how the world of medicine is stopped by ethics? Mercy sat back up and wiped her eyes. This was a problem to think about later.

Mercy sighed. A nice long bath was what she needed to clear her mind. It's been a long day, after all. She slowly unbuttoned her lab coat and took it off. She hung the coat carefully on her coat rack and took off her undershirt, revealing her white gold-laced bra covering her size D bust. She made her way to the bathroom in her living quarters as she reached up her back to take off her bra. She unhooked the little golden hooks and threw her bra aside, leaving her breasts exposed to the light in the bathroom. She stepped into her bathtub and took off her skintight stockings, allowing her pale legs to get some air. Mercy turned on the faucet, letting steamy, hot water flow into the tub. Mercy smiled as she grabbed a towel from the rack. She sat in the growing puddle of hot water as she started to take off her panties.

"Angela!" Mercy heard Medic's voice calling from outside her room. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his call, but she quickly calmed herself down and tried to ignore him. "Angela! Vatch out! Zhere is a man trying to break into your room!" Mercy's eyes widened in surprise. The sound of scuffling and smashing came from outside. Mercy gasped as she got out of her tub. She wrapped a towel around her body and put her panties back on in a rush. Mercy heard Medic yell in pain outside as he was struck by a punch. The man kicked the door to Mercy's room open. He was a Talon assassin, as shown by his Talon armband. He was dressed in a black suit and tie and armed with an SMG. The assassin immediately burst into the bathroom, causing Mercy to shriek in terror. He stopped, stunned by the sight of the near-naked Mercy. He raised his SMG and aimed right at her head. Mercy backed up and screamed for help. Suddenly, just before the assassin could fire a single bullet, Medic struck him in the back of the head with his elbow.

The assassin stumbled to the ground and managed to recover his SMG. Medic pulled out his Medigun and focused it on Mercy. He pressed the red button on the side and infused his healing beam with power. "GET HIM! RAUS RAUS!" Medic yelled. Mercy looked down at her body. It was covered in the same shiny red texture that she saw Medic coat the man's heart with. The assassin fired a spray of bullets, only for them to bounce right off the shiny red coating. Mercy ran forward and used what little combat training she knew to shove the man out of the way. She rushed to the cabinet where she kept her Caduceus Blaster and grabbed it. She aimed it at the assassin and let loose a stream of energy pellets at his legs. The assassin was knocked off his feet and fell to the ground, dazed. Mercy lowered her blaster as the shiny red coating retreated from her body and back into Medic's Medigun. Medic briskly walked to the assassin's side with the Caduceus Blaster in his hand. "You vill get vhat you deserve for your sins." The assassin braced himself as Medic aimed the blaster at his head.

"DIEDRICH! STOP!" Medic turned around, only to turn his head back once he saw Mercy's naked body. "You don't have to kill him!" Medic looked down at the man, who showed an expression of terror. "It vas not his choice to be here! Talon sent him! Ve can just detain him for now and set him free as a changed man later!" Medic paused as he took Mercy's words into consideration.

"Mein fraulein… I vould take you more seriously...if you had clothes on." Mercy realized this and blushed. She covered her breasts and ran to her closet to get changed. She came back thirty seconds later with a pair of sweatpants and a sports bra on. Medic smiled and lowered the blaster, not before spitting on the man's face. "You and I ever cross paths again, I vill not hold back." The assassin nodded in fear, which was pure acting on his part. When Medic's head was turned, the assassin slowly reached behind him for a pistol on the back of his belt. He suddenly grabbed it and aimed at Medic. Before anyone could react, the assassin's hand was grabbed by an invisible force. He looked in confusion and saw a gloved hand firmly clamped onto his arm.

"I'm afraid I won't let you kill my colleagues so easily." Spy faded into view. The assassin gasped as Spy quickly put him into an arm lock. He then flipped him onto his stomach while slipping his butterfly knife out of his sleeve. With a twirl of his blade, he plunged the knife into the assassin's back and listened to him scream in pain. When the assassin stopped breathing, Spy stood back up and yanked his knife out. "Congratulations...Diedrich. You resisted your homicidal tendencies to impress a woman." Medic blushed. How long was Spy in Mercy's room with them? "I stopped by when I heard fighting. I cloaked and went inside just as la madame shot the assassin's legs. I was about to leave when I saw you approaching him with the gun, but then la madame had to stop you. I saw him reaching for his pistol a long time ago, so I had to intervene." Mercy chimed in.

"But you didn't have to kill him! Disarm him one more time and you could have saved a life!" Spy chuckled, shaking his head.

"You're not just a pretty face, are you Angela? However, the assassin had a KD5-NN explosive vest on. He was going to detonate it if his pistol was knocked out of his hand somehow, killing us all. Also, did you think that any organization would send an assassin without giving him cyanide pills?" Spy walked over to the the assassin's corpse and forced his jaws together. He reopened the jaws to reveal that the man's molars were completely eroded away. " He would have cracked these the moment all his plans failed." Mercy was left dumbfounded. "You see Angela…" Spy flicked his cigarette butt to the floor and picked a new one from his case. Just as he shut the case, a veil of smoke enveloped Spy, covering him for a few seconds before dissipating. "He vill get vhat he deserves for his sins." Spy was disguised as Medic, causing Mercy to gasp in surprise as she backed up into the real Medic. Spy chuckled again, and reverted back to his former self. "Also, here." He handed Mercy a card.

"Vhat is zhis?" Mercy asked.

"A copy of the keycard to my room." Spy bowed politely. "A body as glamourous as your's is always welcome in my quarters, ma cher-."

"OK! Zhat's enough!" Medic started to push Spy out of the room. "Zhank you for your help Spy, but you must have your own training partner to attend to." Spy smiled.

"I do indeed. She has probably been waiting ages by my piano for me to show up." Medic stopped pushing at the sound of those words. Spy smirked and vanished, leaving Medic and Mercy alone with an awkward silence between them.

"So...I guess...not all lives can be saved." Medic turned around to see Mercy hanging her head low. "Some people...are past the saving point." Medic nodded.

"I had to learn zhat lesson zhe hard vay, mein fraulein." Mercy looked back up. Medic gave a solemn smile. "Come. Let's find a more comfortable place for a conversation." Medic extended a hand towards Mercy, who gently took it.

* * *

"Have you ever been out here?" Medic asked. Mercy was awe-stricken. There were on the highest roof of the Overwatch HQ. The sunset's dim golden rays bounced off the orange roof tiles, making the bits of quartz in them glitter like diamonds. Medic and Mercy were standing in a flat fenced part of the roof, where a single pair of chairs next to a table stood. Medic slowly walked to one of the chairs and sat down. He set a bottle of champagne on the table along with two glasses and poured them each a glass. "I found this place when I vas looking for my pet dove, Archimedes. He flew up here and showed me zhe vonderous view." Mercy walked over to the other chair and sat down across from Medic. "I've been longing to share zhis beauty vith someone, so I thought: why not bring my vork colleague here?" Mercy took a sip of the golden champagne, feeling the bubbles tickle her throat.

"Diedrich...I-I don't know vhat to say. Zhe scenery... zhe drinks… i-it all feels so...surreal." Mercy looked off into the distance once more, the beauty of the sunset enrapturing her. Soft piano music started to play as the two admired the sunset.

"Hmm...Spy must have started practicing his piano." Medic said quietly. The sound of piano music faintly radiated from the building, putting Medic and Mercy into a trance. "Angela…" Mercy turned her head and looked at Medic, who faintly blushed as Mercy looked at him. Her big blue eyes seemed to stare into Medic's soul. "I'm...sorry about earlier." Mercy smiled.

"It's alright. Ve just have different approaches to our vork. Zhe important thing is to get zhe job done." Mercy's words made Medic look down in shame. "Do...you have something to say, Diedrich?"

"Angela...do you know vhy I disregard my patient's safety?" Mercy shook her head gently. "Zhe human mind is designed to fear one thing and one thing only: pain. Nothing comes vithout a cost. If I vere to turn zhem into gods, zhey must be ready to face any pain zhat I inflict. If I treated my patients like how I'm supposed to, I vill be giving zhem choice. Zhey vill almost always choose zhe easy vay out, thus foolishly turning down zhe better deal for zhe long run for a treatment zhat only fixes zhe problem for zhe time being."

"Isn't having a choice a right of zhe patient?"

"Did God give us choice before creating us?" Medic's statement hung in the air as Mercy tried to think of a rebuttal.

"You can hardly compare any higher deity to a human."

Vhy not? God left us as the gods of zhis vorld, so in my opinion, zhe only vay for mankind to increase zheir hold on Earth is to fix our faults. Infusing zhe human body vith beings zhat are in some way superior to us is zhe only vay, both psychologically and physically, to further empower zhe human race." Medic set his arms on the table as Mercy interlaced her fingers and leaned forward on her elbows. "Zhe fear of pain stops great men from achieving great things. Zhat is vhy, as zhe one who knows better, I make zhose decisions for zh-." Mercy put a finger up Medic's lips, immediately silencing him.

"To be honest, I've really stopped caring about all zhis malarky zhe moment you brought me onto zhis roof." Medic's face froze in an expression of surprise, making Mercy giggle. She took her finger off of Medic's lips. Medic took an exasperated breath, his breathing ragged. "For now, let's just enjoy zhe sunset." Mercy suggested. Medic regained control of his breathing and nodded. The two of them gazed out into the boundless horizon to the sound of the gentle piano music coming from below. After a while, Medic took a glance at Mercy. The sun's golden rays made her blonde hair glitter ever so softly. The white sports bra she had on seemed to fit with her sweatpants, giving her a very casual look. Her gentle face was illuminated by the sun, making her blue eyes sparkle like amethyst. Medic sighed quietly.

"She will never be mine. We have such different approaches to medicine that we might just spend all our time arguing." Medic thought. He turned back around and looked off into the distant sunset once again.

Mercy couldn't resist looking at Medic one more time, especially in this situation. His lack of a lab coat and unusually relaxed expression made him look more attractive than before. His dark hair contrasted the bright sun like yin and yang. His firm chest and broad shoulders automatically gave him good posture no matter how he was sitting. His immaculate cheekbones made him look handsome no matter what facial expression he made. Mercy sighed quietly.

"He will never be mine...he has to go back to the past in order to preserve the time flow. If he stays, then it would be like he never existed." Mercy looked back out into the sunset with a heavy heart. Thoughts raced around in both Mercy and Medic's head.

"Maybe…" Medic thought.

"Maybe…" Mercy thought.

"One more peek won't hurt." They both turned and looked at each other at the same time. As their eyes met, it seemed like that time had stopped. Both of them blushed before breaking eye contact, laughing awkwardly.

"S-she was looking at me. I-I don't believe it! Does she...feel the same way I do?"

"Wow...maybe he does like me…"

Mercy took a deep breath as that realization came to her mind. They both sat there wordless as the sun shone its last rays.

"Zh-zhe sunset's over. Ve should head back inside." Medic stammered. Mercy nodded anxiously.

"J-ja! V-ve should get a g-good night's sleep." Mercy stood up to leave.

"L-let me accompany you to your room!" Medic rushed to Mercy's side. Mercy nodded as the two of them walked down the stairs.

"V-vell...here ve are!" Medic stuttered. Mercy continued walking to her room as Medic stood with his hands behind his back.

"Y-you are going to zhe Halloveen party next veek...yes?" Medic's face lit up. It's been a long time since Medic's team had a normal, non life-threatening Halloween eve.

"For good measure, zh-zhere are no haunted eyes or vizards we have to kill, right?" Mercy looked at him with confusion.

"Um… zhe closest thing ve do is dress up and fight off hordes of training omnics" Mercy smiled sheepishly. "It's a tradition. Long story."

"No need to vorry about my team Angela. Ve are very experienced in killing robots. After all ve...are..." Medic's sentence died on his lips. Mercy's big blue eyes were completely hypnotic to him. Medic stood there, staring at Mercy's pupils. Mercy blushed and silently waved goodbye. She walked into her room and closed the door, leaving Medic in his lonesome.

 **One week later…**

"Hmm...fur? Or no fur?" Medic asked himself. He was making some final preparations for his costume for the imminent Halloween party. He wore a shirt and a tattered lab coat that was torn down the middle, exposing his muscular chest. Medic stuffed bits of fur in the rips of his coat and covered his chest with a thin layer as well. "Fur... for sure." Medic grabbed a hairy werewolf mask and slung it over his face. He rushed over to the mirror in his bathroom and examined his finished costume with glee. The real wolf fur he used sure did seem more realistic, although Medic wasn't planning on telling anyone that, especially not Mercy.

"Diedrich?" Medic heard a knock at the door accompanied by a female voice. "Diedrich? Are you ready to go?"

"Coming Angela!" Medic shouted. Ever since the night on the rooftop Medic spent with Mercy, they had been both awkwardly keeping their distance from each other, their discussions never going beyond their professions. Despite that, Mercy still offered to go to the halloween party with Medic, an invitation which he obviously accepted. Medic briskly walked to the door and opened it. Both of them stood there shocked as they got an eyeful of each other.

Mercy was dressed in a witch costume, hat and everything. Her robes highlighted her cleavage and butt more than ever. She wore mid-thigh high stockings and decorated her wings to look tattered and ghostly. This seductive costume contrasted with her shy demeanor, giving her an innocent look. Meanwhile, Mercy drank in every bit of Medic's costume. She was captivated by his muscular chest, which only added to his appeal. "A-Angela…your costume..." Medic stammered. Mercy snapped out of her trance and looked down at her robes sheepishly.

"Ohh… you don't like it, do you? I knew I should have went with th-"

"Angela. You look stunning."

Mercy was caught off guard by that complement. She stared wide-eyed at Medic as her cheeks started to redden. "Y-you think so?" Medic smiled.

"Zhere is not a sane man in zhe vorld who would not say zhat you are zhe most beautiful hexe to ever exist." Medic watched as Mercy's face was filled with delight.

"Zhat...vas the kindest thing anyone ever said to me…" Medic walked out of his room and extended his hand towards Mercy.

"Shall ve go? To zhe party?" Mercy took Medic's hand gently.

"Ok. Let's go. Together."

"The doctor and his nurse is here!"

"Ha ha! You made it Mercy! And you brought a date!"

"Ey-hey! The doc brought a hot date!"

Medic and Mercy were greeted with cheers as they walked into the redecorated training hall. The party was going along quite nicely. This was the first time the mercenaries got to mingle with the Overwatch operatives in a casual manner in a while. Lucio was serving as DJ for the night, playing several laid back tunes in the background. Winston lumbered over to Medic and Mercy, wearing a suit and bowtie.

"Ah, you're here!" He said with a grin on his face. "Now Medic, do you understand what's about to occur here? I've had to explain to the rest of your team." Medic nodded.

"Angela here told me zhat ve are fighting training robots, correct?" Winston chucked.

"Well, that is an abbreviated form, yes." He said. "Do you know why we do this?"

"Erm, for fun?" Medic asked. Winston instinctively shook his head.

"No..." He paused for a bit, carefully thinking about his answer. "Well, partially. This rather flamboyant tradition of ours is also a tribute of sorts." He explained. "The Omnic Crisis ended on October 31st, so we do this every year to remember the hardships we've been through, even if some of us here haven't experienced it for themselves yet."

"I see…" Medic mused. Winston gave them both a parting nod and made his way towards Lucio's DJ booth.

"Alright! Now that Medic and Mercy are here, we can start our annual halloween competition!" Everyone in the hall let out a loud cheer and grabbed their weapons. Winston took out a remote and pressed a button on it. "You all know the drill. Last man standing wins!" The training hall started to mechanically reconfigure itself. A giant gate formed in the middle of the north wall and started to spew out giant omnics. "Good luck!" Winston gave them a wave as he leapt out of the arena. The team watched as the omnics came to life.

"E-EXTERMINATE" The omnics moaned. Everyone scattered as the omnics revved up their massive stunner cannons. Mercy held Medic close as bullets and missiles flew over their heads.

"Angela!" Mercy turned to look at Medic. "I have an idea! Heal me!" Mercy immediately brought out her Caduceus staff and attached her yellow healing beam onto Medic. He pulled out his Ubersaw and lept at the omnics, with Mercy's healing beam negating the effects of the stunner cannons. Medic swung at the omnics, each hit filling up his Ubercharge meter. Just as he was about to make the final blow, Demoman charged into view and swiftly decapitated the omnic.

"Sorry doc! It's every man for themselves!" Demoman charged away before Medic could respond.

"Dummkopf!" Medic turned to Mercy and handed her his Ubersaw. "Quickly! Fly over to an omnic and hit it once!" Mercy took the Ubersaw in a panic. The weight of it forced her to wield it with two hands. Mercy took a running start and flew over to a omnic who was distracted by Pyro's fiery onslaught. She landed behind the omnic, raised the Ubersaw, and swung with all her might. Unfortunately, Pyro saw what she was doing and airblasted the omnic away.

"Huh hah huddah!" Mercy seethed with anger as Pyro ran away to deal with the next omnic. However, the omnic Pyro airblasted now had its sights on Mercy. As she braced herself for impact, Medic ran up beside her, grabbed the Ubersaw from Mercy's hands, and lunged at the omnic. He pushed the blade of the Ubersaw through the omnic's leg, distracting it for a moment.

"Now is zhe time, Angela!" Medic brought out his medigun and pressed the red button. The healing beam latched itself to Mercy and coated her with the Ubercharge's shiny red layer. Mercy flew forward with her blaster out, shrugging off the stunning energy pellets that were fired at her. She jumped onto the omnic's giant chest and pushed her blaster into the omnic's eye. She unloaded a stream of energy pellets into the omnic's head, blowing it up in no time. As the Ubercharge faded, Mercy looked to her side. Spy was struggling to finish off an omnic. Every time Spy got behind it, It would instantly turn around and deny his backstabs. Tracer had already been eliminated from play, so Spy had no means to distract the omnic.

"Diedrich!" Mercy pointed at Spy. "He saved our lives before! Ve should help him!" Medic nodded. They weren't as competitive as everyone else. Medic aimed his medigun in the Omnic's general direction.

"Oh dummkopf! Come here!" The omnic turned to face Medic. "Stay back Angela! Zhis is still a vork in progress!" Mercy hid behind Medic as he flipped a switch on the side of his medigun. A massive bolt of electricity leapt out of the nozzle, darkening the room. It formed itself into an energy shield. Medic smiled and started to advance. The omnic fired its guns at the shield, but to no avail. "Angela! Fly over to Spy! Give him your damage boost and tell him to go for his back again!" Mercy swiftly flew forward, dodging the stunning pellets hurtling her way. The omnic took no notice and focused on Medic's shield.

"Spy!" Mercy cried. Spy looked up.

"I heard what the doctor told you! Boost me!" Mercy latched her blue beam onto Spy, reinvigorating him.

"Spy! Move!" Medic shouted. His shield was growing thin. Spy lept onto the omnic's giant back and raised his knife. "Spy! Kill him!" A smirk formed on Spy's face.

"Perfect. The two doctors are bound to be mincemeat." Mercy's eyes widened in surprise as Spy laughed before vanishing from sight. "Nothing personal, mademoiselle. I'm just very competitive." Spy said as he ran away under his cloak. The omnic turned around and faced the terrified Mercy. She screamed and put up her arms to defend herself.

"Angela!" Medic lunged forward and stuck his Ubersaw into the omnic's elbow, making him not able to aim his gun. The omnic reeled back, allowing Medic to help Mercy up. "Spy...zhat schweinhund!" The omnic yanked the Ubersaw out and threw it on the ground. Medic stood up to shield Mercy. "I-I vill not let you hurt her!" Mercy was holding back tears by now.

"No Diedrich!" Something caught Mercy's eye. The vial of shining liquid on the Ubersaw was full. Without a word, Mercy flew towards the weapon. The omnic tried to shoot her out of the air, but she was too fast. Mercy returned to Medic with the Ubersaw and emptied the vial into Medic's backpack. "Diedrich! You're charged!" Medic looked at his crackling medigun. He smiled gleefully and immediately used the Ubercharge on Mercy. Mercy ran forward, stuck her blaster into the omnic's eye, and let loose her barrage of energy pellets. The omnic stumbled backwards before collapsing onto the ground with an earth shattering thud. It was over. Medic looked around, no one else was there.

"Ve did it Angela! Ve are zhe last ones standi-" Medic paused. He felt Mercy suddenly lean on his shoulders. He looked into her big azure eyes with surprise.

"Diedrich...I...I love you!" Before Medic could respond, Mercy swiftly locked lips with him. Medic embraced her slender body as the two shared their first kisses with each other amid the field of broken omnic parts.

"Congratulations." Medic and Mercy turned around to the sound of the voice. Spy faded into view in front of them. "I always knew you were her type. If you two had admitted your feelings for each other a week ago, you-" Mercy briskly walked up to Spy and slapped him across the face.

"You traitorous snake!" Mercy cried. "Ve go out of our vey to save you, and you leave us for dead?" Spy rubbed his cheek and chuckled.

"Please. I could have killed that robot anytime I wanted. This was my plan in the first place. Weaken the robot, lure you two over, pretend to abandon you, and watch from afar as you two engage in a moving fight full of self-sacrifices. Then, boom." Spy leaned in close to Mercy's face. "You can finally admit your feelings for Diedrich." Medic angrily burst forward and grabbed Spy by the collar of his suit.

"Zhat doesn't matter. Our feeling vould have been exposed sooner or later. Vhat matters is how you betrayed us!" Medic shouted. Spy smirked.

"I know. I am terribly sorry. Allow me to make it up to you." Spy raised his revolver to his own head. "This has a stunner round in it. I will instantly be eliminated from play. Have fun with your prize." Before Medic could intervene, Spy pulled the trigger. The stunner round instantly transported Spy out of the arena. Medic backed up. He wasn't sure what to think of this. Suddenly, a voice boomed over the intercom.

"Winner! Medic and Mercy!" The duo were instantly transported out of the arena and onto a podium. Below them, the rest of the team clapped and cheered them on.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! I present to you this year's Halloween survivalist champions: Medic and Mercy!" Winston boomed. The team gave a cheer as confetti rained from the ceiling. "To reward your excellent teamwork and self-sacrifices, here is your prize!" Soldier 76 walked onstage and handed Medic a new badge. "Medic, I am offering you a promotion to join Overwatch Elite!" Mercy and Soldier 76's eyes lit up.

"Diedrich! Do you know vhat zhis means?" Mercy asked Medic eagerly. He shook his head in slight confusion. "Zhe Overvatch Elite are zhe second highest rank in all of Overvatch! Right now, only Vinston, Jack, Ana, and I have attained zhat rank-"

"-and we would love to have someone like you by our side." Winston finished. Medic looked rather flustered by all this sudden praise. Winston turned to Mercy and handed her an envelope. "And now, Angela. Here is your reward!" Mercy eagerly took the envelope and opened it. She pulled out a single letter, which she read carefully. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Mein gott! A-are you serious, Vinston?" She stammered, drawing Medic's attention.

"Vhat is it, Angela?" Mercy looked at him, her eyes filled with excitement.

"I-I've been given permission to spearhead the effort to restore Overvatch's Sviss HQ!" Mercy continued to read the letter. "I'll be leaving tomorrow morning along vith zhe necessary crew needed to rebuild zhe base back to its prime!" She couldn't help but hop with excitement.

"Zhat's vunderful, Angela!" Medic exclaimed, embracing her. "I'll be sure to be packed by tomorrow morning! I've alvays vanted to visit Svitzerland! I-"

"Actually, you can't go with her." Winston interjected, stopping Medic dead in his tracks. "Now that you're an Elite, you must take Mercy's place here while she's over at Switzerland." The grin slipped off Medic's face. He chuckled nervously.

"Erm, alright zhen, I'll just vait until she gets back! Zhen ve'll-"

"Sorry, if Mercy is going to accept this offer, then she will have to stay in Switzerland to act as the Director of that facility." Almost immediately, both Medic and Mercy piped up.

"Zhen I refuse to become an Elite!"

"Zhen I refuse to revive zhe Svitzerland HQ!"

The couple gasped, looking into each other's eyes.

"A life without Angela... is a life not vorth living." Mercy's eyes welled up as she embraced Medic, kissing him again. The team went wild as Medic and Mercy kissed in the shower of confetti. Winston smiled and lumbered towards his office to stow away Medic's badge and Mercy's letter. On the way out, Spy was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.

"I assume everything went to plan?" Winston nodded.

"Diedrich and Angela are together. Not even their greatest desires can split them apart now." Winston reported. Spy smirked.

"Our plan is right on track, mon ami. You will soon get what you need, in time." Spy flicked his cigarette onto the floor and picked out a new one from his case. Winston smiled as a veil of blue smoke enveloped him. When the smoke cleared, the BLU Spy emerged.

"No one will be able to stop us after our plan is carried out." RED Spy suddenly pointed behind BLU Spy. BLU Spy immediately reapplied his disguise as Medic and Mercy walked past them in each other's arms, making out vigorously. They barged into Mercy's room and closed the door. The sound of moaning could be faintly heard coming from the other side of the door.

"Well. That should conclude our report for the day. I suggest you get back to the party. Remember: keep them all together." RED Spy said. BLU Spy nodded and lumbered back down the hall. RED Spy chuckled faintly. "Time...is on my side."


	11. Chapter 11: Heartbroken Guard

**Chapter 11: Heartbroken Guard**

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are, Amy?" Gerald Lacroix leaned in close to his wife. They were sitting on a balcony overlooking the glowing Parisian skyline, illuminated by the sunset. Amelie smiled.

"Please Gérard. I hear that everyday from you. Why don't you come up with a more..." Amelie paused for a moment to unbutton her shirt. "...creative way to express your love?" Amelie threw herself at Gerald, catching him by surprise. She pinned him down lustfully and kissed his neck. Gerald held her and whispered in her ear.

"Let's continue this in the bedroom, shall we?" Gérard lifted Amelie up as she clung to his muscular chest. Just as Gérard stepped inside, his legs suddenly gave away. "W-what's this…" He collapsed abruptly onto the ground, unconscious. Amelie smiled evilly. She had drugged Gérard's wine earlier, putting him into a deep sleep. Amelie calmly walked to the kitchen, where she grabbed a steak knife. She returned to her husband's side and kissed his cheek.

"Goodbye...amour." She put the knife up to Gérard's throat and gave it a clean slice, ending his life. Amelie threw the knife onto the floor and ran to the balcony.

"Is he dead?" Amelie heard a voice say over her micro-earpiece.

"Yes. The job is done. Requesting evac."

"Good job, Widowmaker. A transport will arrive at your area in five minutes." Amelie walked back inside. Despite all that happened, she felt nothing. It was as if she had just given her soul to the devil. Without a word, she made her way to Gérard's home office and raided all of his cabinets for documents.

"Zhe procedure is done...shall we wake her up?"

Amelie carried the stack of papers out of the office and back onto the balcony.

"Heart rate stabilizing."

The Talon transport hovered into view and lowered its door. A Talon operative stood at the edge of the platform with his hand extended.

"She's not stirring! Administer zhe adrenaline shot!"

Amelie handed the operative the documents and jumped on board with a heartless smirk on her face.

"Now! Give her zhe shot!"

" **GRAAAAAAAH!"**

Widowmaker snapped awake and sat up in a blind panic. She quickly grabbed a nearby syringe and swiped wildly, stabbing a nearby doctor in the throat. Medic and the rest of the surgeons jumped back in surprise. While the surgeons fled for their lives, Medic grabbed a bonesaw from the operating tray. "Ooh. A little twitchy, are ve?" Medic charged at Widowmaker and swung at her with the blunt side of the bonesaw. Widowmaker easily dodged it and stabbed the syringe into Medic's shoulder. Medic yelled in pain and collapsed to the ground. Widowmaker took a scalpel from the operating tray and ran to the door.

"Th-those filthy Overwatch dogs! They captured me! I will kill every last one of them!" Widowmaker thought to herself. She burst through the operating room doors and started to dash through the halls with a furious look on her face. After a few moments, she suddenly heard a voice call out from behind her.

"Where'd you think yer goin' little miss booberry?" Widowmaker swiftly turned around and threw her scalpel at Scout, who easily dodged it. "I've got orders from the doc to bring ya back alive...more or less." Widowmaker immediately ran at Scout, who grabbed his baseball bat and swung. Widowmaker dodged the swing and kicked at Scout's knees, knocking him backwards. She retrieved her scalpel and threw it at Scout's hand, pinning it to the floor. "Ahh! Jesus, lady!" He cried. Widowmaker walked angrily up to Scout's side.

"Where are they keeping my rifle? Tell me!" She demanded. Scout smirked.

"Down the hall, to the left." Widowmaker was mildly surprised that Scout would just give up information like that, no torture required. "Heh. Dere's only one reason I'm lettin' you get to your rifle. I wanna see Sniper deck ya in a fair fight." Widowmaker took no notice to Scout's threat and immediately set off to find her rifle.

"Down the hall...left." Widowmaker kicked down the door. There, her rifle was sitting comfortably in a glass case. She walked over and shattered the fragile glass with ease. She picked up her rifle and ran out of the room to try and locate the exit, which was just another right from her current position. "This...was too easy." Widowmaker thought. She pushed open the door and ran into the courtyard, keeping an eye out for threats. Suddenly, she saw a little bright red dot creeping across the ground towards her. She knew what this meant all too well. She quickly jumped to the side, expecting to hear the bullet hit right beside her. However, the red dot swiftly flicked onto Widowmaker's neck. Before she could even react, a shot was fired. Widowmaker felt a sudden pain as a dart embedded itself in her neck muscles. She began to feel woozy as her vision blurred.

"Don't go runnin' off like that. I might have to actually kill you next time, sheila." An australian voice taunted behind her. Widowmaker gave her assailant one last look of anger before she passed out.

 **The next day…**

"Hello there Sniper." Winston greeted. Sniper walked into the office and took a seat on a chair across from Winston's desk.

"What's the problem mate? Got another Talon bloke for me to kill?" Winston shook his head.

"As much as I want to send you after another Talon official, given your performance so far, I am seeing you regarding the incident last night." Winston said.

"Oh, that sheila?" Sniper waved his hand as a smug expression filled his face. "Pssh. I've dealt with snipers much tougher than her."

"I am asking for you to be her personal guard." Sniper went silent as the smug expression vanished from his face. Winston cleared is throat and continued. "Normally, I would get Ana to do it, but she is currently needed in the defence of Washington." Sniper nodded slightly. A few days ago, the Deadlock gang launched a surprise attack on Washington D.C using enormous robotic suits of armor. Almost every operative Overwatch had at its disposal left to defend America's capital. Sniper, Winston, Scout, Medic, Mercy, Spy, and Torbjorn stayed behind to keep the Overwatch HQ running. Winston reached for a file on the corner of his desk and handed it to Sniper. "Here. This dossier has everything that you need to know about Widowmaker." Sniper took the file and skimmed through it.

"Aim-ell-eye...Lay-crox." Sniper enunciated.

"Amelie Lacroix." Winston corrected. "That is her former name, before Talon turned her into a sleeper agent. I suggest that you study up tonight. As a guard, you will be the person she is exposed to the most while she is undergoing her treatment. You will report for duty immediately tomorrow at 0600 hours. Dismissed." Sniper stood back up and walked towards the office door, giving Winston a wave goodbye. "Proper conduct, Sniper!" He yelled out. Sniper sighed, turned around, and gave a proper salute. Winston smiled. "Good. You are dismissed."

Sniper stayed up late reading up on Widowmaker's backstory. French. A wife of an Overwatch operative. Kidnapped by Talon and used as a sleeper agent against Overwatch. Killed her husband in his sleep. "Pretty basic stuff." Sniper thought to himself. "I've met crocodiles with more interesting backstories." Sniper sighed. "How am I supposed to help her? I'm not the therapist type." Sniper flipped through some more documents, until something caught his eye. It was a picture of a young woman with dazzling brown eyes. Her dark hair perfectly caught the sunlight in the picture. Sniper unclipped the photo from the file and looked at it intently. Her joyful expression was captivating to behold. Sniper read the caption below the picture. "Amelie. 5 days after rescue from Talon." Sniper flipped the photo over to reveal a blurry picture of what seems to be a woman slitting someone's throat. He read the caption below it. "Picture of the late Gerald Lacroix, spouse of Amelie Lacroix. Wife is suspected killer." Sniper smirked. He knew perfectly well that she was slitting his throat in all the wrong ways. "From the looks of it, she's aiming a bit too high with that knife." Sniper examined. Suddenly, his face lit up as an idea came into his mind. Sniper threw the file aside and sat back in his chair with a relaxed expression. He knew exactly how to deal with Widowmaker.

 **The next day…**

Widowmaker sat down in a corner of her cell. She woke up from her drug-induced sleep a few hours ago in a plexiglass cube suspended 50 feet in the air, with the only form of access being a platform with a bridge to her cell. Medic already made several visits to conduct medical tests on her, claiming that his procedures would allow her to feel emotions once again. Widowmaker scoffed. "Feelings. What a nuisance." She whispered quietly to herself.

"I hear ya mate." Widowmaker suddenly stood up at the sound of the familiar voice. "Feelin's?" Sniper walked into view. "Feelin's are for blokes who beat their wives to death with a golf trophy." Sniper walked across the bridge and sat in front of the plexiglass cube. "Us professionals, we have standards." Widowmaker quietly listened on with slight interest. "Be efficient, be polite, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet." Sniper stood back up. "The name's Mundy, but you can call me Sniper. I'm assigned to be your own personal guard. In case if you haven't put two and two together, I'm the bloke who shot you last night." Widowmaker smirked.

"Please. If you hadn't caught me off guard, I would have blown your head off cleanly." Sniper chuckled.

"Lookin' forward to it." Sniper brought Widowmaker's file out and skimmed through it. "I've gotta say…" Sniper took out the photo of Gerald's corpse. Widowmaker rolled her eyes.

"Here we go again. Let me guess, you want to know about my time in Talon. Well, I'm not telling you anyth-"

"You're aiming a smidge high with that knife, accordin' to what I see here." Widowmaker was taken back in surprise. Sniper pressed the photo up against the plexiglass. "If you slice at the arteries, you'll double...no, triple the amount of blood that spills onto the floor." Sniper pointed a bit lower as Widowmaker watched intently. "Slice at the throat at a 30 degree angle downwards from left to right, and you'll spill an ounce of blood, tops." Sniper pointed to his own throat and replicated the motion. "The more blood you spill, easier it is to track. Also, mind I ask why you didn't dispose of the body?" Widowmaker let out a small chuckle of amusement.

"You're...quite different from the other guards, to say the least." She sighed. "My job was to get the documents from my late husband. I had no reason to dispose of his body." Sniper chuckled again.

"Think about it shiela: if you just took the time to dig a shallow grave, the body would be well decomposed by the time Overwatch got there. No body, no evidence you did it. Hell, they'd probably think Gérard went off the grid for some reason!" Sniper cleared his throat. "Of course, the shallow grave wouldn't even matter if you went and emptied the man's arteries." Widowmaker started walking slowly towards Sniper with a look of disbelief on her face.

"Why...are you acting this way?" Sniper shrugged.

"What, you think I'd rather make you just sit there?"

"Yes...that is usually the case." Widowmaker replied.

"Well, if you were just run-of-the-mill street trash, I might've just ignored you. If I get the chance meet another sniper face to face, I always take it." Widowmaker felt flattered at Sniper's statement. "Also, keep in mind that you're no prisoner. The doctors are here to help you get better, and I'm here to keep you from goin' insane in your lonesome." Widowmaker scoffed.

"How could you, a complete stranger, possibly bond with me, a heartless assassin." Sniper smirked.

"I dunno. Seems to be workin' a few moments ago." Widowmaker paused before letting out a small smirk.

"Ok then." Widowmaker sat on the corner of her cell bed. "Tell me more."

 **A few hours later…**

"After that, the water snakes surrounded me. I looked into the waters and saw Jim's arm floating around, only moments before piranhas chomped it down. I hopped on top of the sinking boat and pulled out my kukri. The snakes came at me one by one, only to meet the sharp end of my blade." Widowmaker sat on her bed listening to Sniper's retelling of his trip to the amazon, mildly enraptured.

"I always wanted to go to the amazon." Widowmaker commented. "Paris may seem exotic, but it really can get boring after a while." She sighed. "I've always wanted to see the world. Wild safaris, dangerous treks into the amazon, the thought of it almost makes me feel something." Sniper walked towards Widowmaker's cell.

"If you want, after all this is over, I could take you for a trip." Widowmaker looked up at Sniper. "Amazon, Saharan Desert, Australian Outback, you name it." WIdowmaker stood up from her bed with a doubtful look in her eyes.

"Don't think I know what you're playing here." Widowmaker's expression became serious again and leaned in close to the plexiglass. "You're trying to get my trust. Once you succeed, you'll play me for a fool and get me to tell you every little detail about Talon. Then, you'll have no use to keep me around anymore. So try as you might, but I will not betray my organization." Sniper stared back at her blankly, stunned at her reaction. His face soon filled with frustration.

"You think that guardin' you was my choice?" Sniper asked. "Crikey mate! I could be dozin' off in a comfy armchair, catchin' up on all the movies in the future I still gotta see, but I'm here, guardin' your ungrateful behind." Widowmaker went silent. Sniper stood up as his voice raised in volume. "So why don't you just thank the bloody lord for not givin' you someone a bit more abusive to be your guard!"

"Your shift's up Sniper." Sniper turned around, snapping out of his rant. A pair of burly security guards approached him. "We've got it from here." Sniper smirked at Widowmaker.

"Maybe after tonight…" Sniper whispered. "You'll know how bloody nice I was to you." Sniper immediately left the room after giving Widowmaker one last warning.

"Alright missy. Let's get you out of that box. It's time for your visit to the doctor." The guards unlocked Widowmaker's cell. Widowmaker just sat smugly on her bed.

"It's not like a gentleman not to escort their lady. Why don't you come and get me?" Widowmaker has a plan all laid out. The first guard will enter, She'll go for a leg sweep and slam him onto the ground, then the second guard will-

 **BZZZZZZT!** "AAAH!"

"If your done being smug, Get your ass out here. NOW!" Widowmaker received a shock from an implant in her waist. The guards each had a controller at the ready. Another wave of electricity shot out of the implant, causing her to scream again. "Move!" Widowmaker grudgingly got up and walked towards the cell door. As she approached the guards, she suddenly swung a fist at one of them. Before the punch could connect, she was given another electric shock, making her collapse onto the floor. "Now, you better stop being such a bad girl. You know what happens to bad girls, right?" Widowmaker looked up at the guards with fire in her eyes. "Down, girl!" The guards gave her another shock, making her squirm painfully on the floor. "Come on!" One of the guards grabbed Widowmaker by the collar of her prisoner jumpsuit. "We can't keep the doctor waiting, can we?" Widowmaker angrily got back up as the guards started to push her to the medical ward.

* * *

"Doc?" Sniper knocked on the door to Medic's office. "Doc? You there?" Sniper called. Medic answered the door.

"Ahh! Sniper! Come in!" Sniper stepped inside Medic's office. It wasn't as gross as Sniper expected it to be. Mercy had been forcing Medic to store his animal organs elsewhere ever since he moved into her office, so that was probably why. "Before you ask: yes, I am preparing to meet Amelie. I assume you are here to complain about her behavior?" Medic asked. Sniper cleared his throat.

"Actually doc, she's doin' perfectly fine." Sniper replied. "Yeah, she's been angry, but other than that, lil' sheila's been an angel. I came here to ask you somethin', mate." Medic turned around in interest. "I want her to go with me to Washington. So, you being the head of this effort to treat her and all, maybe you could get Winston to get us both onto the field, and-" Medic put his hand up.

"Out of zhe question. She can barely be escorted 5 meters vithout attacking someone. If it vasn't for zhe implant, she vould-"

"Just give me a remote." Medic paused. "Give me a remote, and I'll use it if she gets a bit twitchy." Medic opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it again after giving what Sniper said some thought. Medic groaned.

"Fine." Medic took a spare remote out of his lab coat pocket and handed it to Sniper. "Don't come running back to me if she shoots you." Sniper nodded and put the remote in his pocket.

"Come to think of it, why didn't I get a remote in the first place?" Sniper asked.

"I ran out of batteries for the remotes, so I left to get more. Vhile I was gone, Archimedes stole your battery-less remote to build his new nest vith. Now I can't get it back vithout him pecking my daumen off." Medic shrugged. "Birds."

 **Elsewhere...**

"How is it going, mon ami?" RED Spy sat before a bank of computer monitors. A voice rang out from his earpiece.

"You're in. Administrator access and everything." BLU Spy responded. RED Spy smiled. He immediately logged into the computer in front of him.

"And how is Schmear Die doing?" BLU Spy smiled.

"The doctor doesn't suspect a thing. I'm sending you Schmear Die's video feed." The video played on RED Spy's screens. RED Spy laughed.

"As long as no one finds out about Schmear Die, we can meddle around all we want."

"Also…" BLU Spy asked. "Did the bushman just get permission to go to Washington with Amelie?"

"Yes, he did. I suggest you do nothing to stop them. If the Deadlock Gang kills them, it's two less pairs of eyes we have to worry about." RED Spy flicked his cigarette aside and took out a new one. A veil of smoke enveloped him as RED Spy started to apply a disguise. The smoke parted, revealing RED Spy's Scout disguise. "I gotta go now. After all, we gotta have someone ta put the blame on for all dis meddlin'. Just delete the video feed of you makin' all these changes and put up the recordin' of 'Scout'." RED Spy dashed out of the room to put his plan into motion.

* * *

"Get on there, you bitch!" The guards violently threw Widowmaker onto an operating table. They held her down as they strapped her limbs to the table. Widowmaker did nothing to resist. Her muscles were already half-atrophied from all the electric shocks. Besides, they'd just shock her again if she moved. Once Widowmaker was all strapped down, one of the guards gave her one last zap, making her scream in pain again. "That's for all the Overwatch operatives you've killed." The guard spat on her face before turning around to leave.

"Please don't do zhat." The guards turned to face Medic, who walked up to Widowmaker and wiped off the wad of spit. "I don't vant her to get an infection too early into zhe procedure." Medic smiled evilly. "I vant zhis to be as painful as possible." The guards smiled back in malicious delight.

"How long you gonna torture her for?" They asked. Medic pushed his glasses up and chuckled.

"A veek, maybe two." Widowmaker's eyes widened. For the first time in forever, she felt fear crawl down her spine. The guards laughed.

"Perfect. Make her suffer for all the shit she put our men through." Medic nodded as the two guards happily left the room. As soon as they shut the door behind them, Medic's expression softened as he let out a sigh.

"Did you know I spent a year studying in Munich's acting school?" Medic walked up to the operating table and looked down at Widowmaker. "I had fun, I just never zhought I ever had to apply zhem." Medic sat down on the table. He looked at Widowmaker's terrified expression. "Psh. Don't vorry. I'm not going to torture you." Relief flushed through her body.

"Wh-who are you?" Widowmaker asked, weak from the repeated electric shocks. "Wh-where's Mercy?" Medic laughed softly.

"Angela's out right now. I'm her fiance." Medic reached behind his neck and unclipped a golden heart-shaped locket. He oped the locket and showed Widowmaker the pictures of him and Mercy inside. Medic smiled and put his locket back on. "Also, I forgive you for stabbing me vith a syringe. It healed up quite nicely, actually." Widowmaker groaned in pain.

"M-Mundy was right." She moaned. "I-I should have been more grateful." Medic nodded.

"Ja, ja. Sniper is probably zhe only one here who you von't kill on sight at zhis point. Zhat is vhy I'm happy to tell you zhat he has suggested zhat you go vith him to help out at Vashington!" Widowmaker's eyes widened with surprise.

"He...asked me?" Medic nodded again.

"Unless you prefer being stuck here while I'm forced to slowly torture you, I suggest you take up his offer." Widowmaker immediately nodded. "Perfect." Medic brought up a clipboard and started scribbling on it. "You vill leave tomorrow at 6:00 sharp, in transport 5A along vith Sniper." Widowmaker sighed in relief. Anything is better than rotting away here. "Also..." Widowmaker looked back at Medic. "Don't zhink I didn't notice those expressions you vere making." Widowmaker looked back at him with confusion. "Vhat, you don't get it? It means you're starting to feel emotions again!"

 **Next morning…**

"Alright." Medic waved towards Sniper and Widowmaker. "Zhere is a couple of security guards up ahead. You two get to zhe hangar vhile I distract zhem." The two snipers nodded. Medic stood up and calmly walked towards the guards. "Excuse me!" Medic shouted. The guards turned their attention to him. "I need your assistance, meine freunde. Zhe patient's acting up again. I need you to…" Medic's voice faded into the distance as Sniper and Widowmaker quickly rushed past the distracted guards and towards the transport hangar. They entered the hangar and found transport 5A.

"Need a ride, loves?" Tracer waved at the duo through the cockpit window, her expression becoming slightly less joyous when she saw Widowmaker. Sniper waved back.

"We're comin' right on board!" He shouted. Tracer retreated back into the cockpit and lowered the transport's door. Sniper and Widowmaker stepped inside and took their seats, leaning their rifles on the wall. Tracer looked back at the duo with a smile.

"Next stop in three hours, Washington!" Tracer's expression suddenly turned serious as she looked at Widowmaker. "I've got my eyes on you, Widowbitch."

"Hey!" Sniper shouted. Tracer looked at him. "Watch yer mouth, mate!" Tracer rolled her eyes and refocused on piloting the transport. The transport moved onto the runway and took off into the sunrise.

"They've taken off." RED Spy reported, focusing on one of the computer monitors showing Sniper and Widowmaker's transport lifting off. "Send Schmear Die after them. Now that the blue girl is gone, there will be hardly anything left going on in the base."

"Yes, a bit of reconnaissance on the task force in Washington would be helpful. BLU Spy replied. "Sending Schmear Die out now." RED Spy waited for BLU Spy to return. "Also, have you got the recording of 'Scout'?" RED Spy smiled.

"Yes. If they question us, not only do we have 'Winston' and graymann to fall back on, we can just frame Scout for everything."

 **Three hours later…**

"Woah!" The transport jostled, shaking Sniper awake. He looked beside him to see Widowmaker still asleep, her head leaning on Sniper's shoulder. Sniper quickly shook Widowmaker's shoulder to wake her up. "Hang on guys! We've got incoming!" Tracer franticly steered the transport through the skies, dodging the anti-aircraft fire. Deadlock Gang members shot into the cloudy skies from the ground. The transport was right over the Deadlock Gang's camp. Tracer quickly put the ship onto auto-maneuvering and pulled Sniper and Widowmaker from their seats. "I need you two to dive out! Now!" Tracer handed them each a small watch. "R&D's been lookin' at Spy's watch! They've managed to crank out these prototypes that're only good for one use!" Sniper and Widowmaker each strapped the watches on their wrists.

"How long will these things cloak us for?" Sniper asked.

"8 seconds! After that, the buggers will short out, so make it count!" Tracer handed them each a parachute and their rifles. She opened the transport doors. "GO!" The duo strapped on their parachutes and activated their watches, rendering them completely invisible. They jumped out of the transport, deploying their parachutes.

"Ey! Sheila!" Widowmaker turned to Sniper. "Let's have a contest! Once we land, whoever takes out the most Deadlock Gang members win!" Widowmaker smirked, not that Sniper could see.

"And!" Widowmaker interjected. "And we have to collect their dog tags as proof!" Sniper gave a thumbs up, not that Widowmaker could see. They both glided past the shower of anti-aircraft fire and landed on the top of a wrecked apartment building. Parachutes off, rifles out. Sniper quickly ran to the edge of the apartment roof and took his position behind the ruined concrete barriers as his cloak wore off. "Y'ready?" Sniper put his eye up to his scope as Widowmaker fired her grappling hook off into the distance.

"We'll keep in touch via radio." Widowmaker gave a small nod before she was pulled away. Sniper smiled and refocused on the task at hand. He activated his laser sights and immediately put a bullet into one of the gangsters down below. Shells quickly accumulated at his feet as he popped bullets into head after head. Instant pandemonium started within the Deadlock camp as men hurried to their Deadsuits to deal with the intruding snipers, only to take a bullet to the head the moment they got anywhere close to their mechs. Sniper heard the distant sound of Widowmaker's gun coming from a building to his left. Suddenly, Sniper noticed a small glint of reflected light coming from beside a wall down in the camp. His eyes widened as he ducked behind his barrier, barely dodging the bullet that whizzed over his head. He quickly pressed the button on his transmitter. "Widowmaker! They've got snipers too! Watch it!"

"I know. My infra-sight is almost ready." Widowmaker replied.

"Wait...infra-sight?" Before Sniper could question further, he heard shots ring out from Widowmaker's building. He peeked out to see the snipers below blindly firing at Widowmaker's position as she swiftly took them out one by one. Sniper took advantage of the confusion and started firing as well, diverting the sniper's attention once again. In moments, every single man in the Deadlock camp who even remotely touched a sniper rifle were all on the ground with lead in their skulls. Sniper and Widowmaker shot at the remaining Deadlock Gang members as they desperately tried to flee. Within five minutes of their landing, they have managed to clean out the small camp.

"The job is done." Widowmaker reported. Sniper stood up and hopped over the barrier, grabbing onto a ladder. "We'll meet up at the fifth tent from my spot."

"Gotcha."

* * *

"Where are they?" RED Spy tensed up in his chair. "They have run outside of Schmear Die's field of vision!"

"I can't move him in any closer without them seeing it. I suggest we go and take a look at the Overwatch camp in Washington." BLU Spy answered.

"Fine." RED Spy watched Schmear Die's video feed as it flew further into Washington.

* * *

"I'll admit, you are a fairly skilled sniper, Mundy." Sniper smiled at the sound of Widowmaker's compliment. They walked down the center of the camp, prowling for survivors. Widowmaker had her rifle in assault mode and Sniper has his SMG out.

"Thanks, you ain't too shabby either." Sniper looked at Widowmaker. "So. It's almost Christmas time." Widowmaker gave a confused expression.

"It's...late November." Sniper chuckled.

"My family has a tradition of celebratin' Christmas a bit earlier. Back home, you'd just take a gander at all the Christmas lights and shiny decorations we put up…" Sniper's words drifted off as he looked up. A single white dove with small red stains on its body flew through the cloudy skies. Sniper's years of hunting experience can let him detect even the smallest white rabbit in a field of snow. "Look up, mate." Widowmaker put on her infra-goggles and looked to where Sniper was pointing.

"Is that...the Medic's bird?" Sniper immediately unloaded his SMG and pushed a single tranquilizer dart through the bottom of his gun. He raised the barrel to the sky, took aim, and fired. The dart left a bright red trail as it made its mark. However, the dove didn't seem to be slowed down by the tranquilizer at all. Sniper and Widowmaker watched in confusion as the dove kept flying like nothing happened.

"Shoot it down." Sniper instructed. Widowmaker swiftly reconfigured her rifle and blasted a round through the dove. They watched as a small explosion of smoke and machine parts burst out of the dove as it fell to the earth.

"Let's go see what that thing is." Widowmaker suggested. Sniper nodded as the duo rushed towards the dove's landing site.

* * *

"Abort! Abort!" RED Spy fiddled with the controls on the dashboard in a panic. "Schmear Die is down!" RED Spy stood up from his chair and grabbed a remote from the desk. "Proceeding with plan B."

"Yes. Let's give Sniper something else to worry about." With those words, RED Spy gave the remote a good press.

* * *

"AAAAH!" Widowmaker collapsed to the ground in a fit of pain. Sniper instantly swooped down to catch her. Widowmaker moaned as a familiar pain emanated from her hip.

"What? What is it?" Widowmaker suddenly went for Sniper's shirt pockets. She grabbed his remote and pulled it out, her face twisting into an expression of anger and shock.

"You! You lied to me!" Before Sniper could comprehend what she meant, she threw a punch at his face, hitting Sniper in the cheek. Reeling from the blow, Sniper quickly jumped back and took out his kukri.

"I swear! That shock didn't come from me!" Sniper reasoned. Widowmaker came at Sniper once again and kicked at his stomach. Sniper batted her leg off with the blunt side of his kukri, causing her to fall down. He put his kukri away and tried to approach her. "C'mon, Amelie. Please! I didn't-" Widowmaker sweeped at Sniper's legs, throwing him onto the ground as well.

"I don't want to hear it!" Widowmaker drew her rifle and aimed it at Sniper's head, who also took out his rifle. The two snipers were both on the ground, with their rifles aimed at each other.

"Don't push me, sheila!" Without a word, Widowmaker pulled the trigger at the same time Sniper did. The two bullets collided with each other mid-flight and missed their targets. Widowmaker stood back up and reconfigured her rifle, giving Sniper enough time to roll behind a nearby table. Sniper pulled out his SMG and fired at Widowmaker. She extended her grappling hook and flew away from the hail of bullets. Sniper took advantage of this momentary ceasefire and ran into the dense maze of tents in the Deadlock camp, all while keeping an eye on where Widowmaker was going. He quickly pulled out his sniper rifle and aimed at Widowmaker's head. Before he could fire, Widowmaker shot a round from her rifle, making Sniper flinch. She also fired a small projectile from her wrist. It soared through the air and landed beside Sniper, immediately exploding into a cloud of poison gas. Sniper immediately fell to his knees, choking on the cloud, giving Widowmaker enough time to reconfigure her rifle and aim at Sniper's head.

"Au revoir, mon cheri." Widowmaker whispered. She fired, the bullet tearing through Sniper's skull. She watched with satisfaction as Sniper's limp corpse fell to the ground.

* * *

"The bushman is no more." RED Spy reported. He was watching the whole fight through a satellite that "Winston" let him use.

"If you're done, please log out of the satellite. I don't want us to get caught." BLU Spy said. RED Spy quickly disconnected from the satellite's camera. "This was a very risky action just to confirm a death. The satellite is very easily tracked." RED Spy put his hand up to his face.

"Please. Are you really that much of an amature? The bushman isn't really dead." RED Spy stood up in front of his bank of monitors. "Book us a flight to Washington. We have a loose end to tie up." RED Spy felt his suit pocket. "I also need to get my Dead Ringer back."


	12. Chapter 12: Swindler's Delight

**Chapter 12: Swindler's Delight**

The wind was howling at the peak of the mountain. Within the storm, a single person covered in robes could be seen hiking up the perilous mountain trail, carrying with him a sack full of unknown items. The person looked up towards the dark summit, ignoring the harsh winds. With a feeling of strength in his gut, the person calmly walked up the steep inclines of the mountain, hoisting his heavy bag. As the wind swirled and the clouds darkened, the person finally trudged onto the mountain's peak, dropping his bag to the ground. He opened it and pulled out a flask of blood, a bowl of bone marrow from an undead skeleton, and a piece of cloth from the Horseless Headless Horsemann's cape. He used the flask as a paperweight to pin the cloth to the ground and scraped the bone marrow into the flask. He stirred the flask with his finger until the bone marrow fully dissolved, and them proceeded to use his blood-coated finger to draw a pentagram around the flask. He brought out a tiny notebook from his sack and read a spell from it.

"Invocum…" With that first word, the bloody pentagram started to shimmer a hellish red. The person raised his arms to the sky. "...Hyperium…" The pentagram swallowed the cloth and blood flask slowly, glowing brighter and brighter. The person smiled beneath his robes and completed the spell. "...MERASMUS!" Suddenly, a green mist exploded out of the pentagram, knocking the person to the ground. The mist grew in volume, until it suddenly dissipated. The person looked up in shock as a mysterious figure emerged from the mist.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Merasmus stood in front of the person with a bowl of popcorn in his hands. He was even still in his pyjamas. "WHAT MERE MORTAL DARES TO INTERRUPT THE GREAT AND POWERFUL MERASMUS DURING HIS TOM JONES TELEVISED MARATHON?!" The person responded by lifting his hood, making Merasmus gasp with terror. Merasmus pointed a bony finger at the person. "YOU…"

"Who else?" RED Spy responded. Merasmus seethed with anger.

"What have you invoked me for? To kill me again? In fact, how did you even know about this whole thing? Is Soldier running his blasphemous mouth again?" RED Spy put up a hand, stopping Merasmus from questioning him further.

"That doesn't matter. I came for the exchange. The one you put in the classifieds." RED Spy explained. Merasmus immediately burst into a fit of laughter.

"You poor FOOL! The exchange requires a total of one-thousand-and-one human souls, all contained in a soul-gargoyle! In fact, your team reads the 'Teufort Daily'! Not the paper I put my ad in!" Before Merasmus could say another word, RED Spy took a soul-gargoyle out of his bag and tossed it to Merasmus. The gargoyle was overflowing with eerie green energy, making Merasmus gasp in shock.

"It wasn't too hard. Murdering a small village's worth of people is worth the sacrifice." Merasmus smiled evily.

"I cannot argue with a solid payment, no matter how sick and twisted the customer is." Merasmus summoned his staff and raised it to the air. "I shall give you what you seek! A vision of the future!" Merasmus summoned a projector and screen in front of him and plugged the gargoyle into the projector. Merasmus looked at RED Spy's disappointed expression. "What? You know that I only know...like...three spells." RED Spy rolled his eyes and turned to look at the screen as the projector came to life. For the next five minutes, RED Spy stared wide-eyed as he saw what the future held for the world.

Merasmus's history with the RED and BLU teams go very far back. Every Halloween, Merasmus would unleash a variety of supernatural threats and tasks onto the two sides, from fueling his nightmarish Carnival of Carnage to simply sicking the Horseless Headless Horsemann upon them. One particular Halloween, the two teams were tasked with sending the opposing side's recently deceased boss, either Redmond or Blutarch Mann, to Hell via cursed indian burial ground. RED succeeded first, but ended up dragging everyone there to Hell along with their dead employers. Once they arrived, they found that Bombinomicon, Merasmus's sentient ghost explosives spell book, had become the devil. Nobody knew how or why, but all that mattered was that Bombinomicon wasn't letting anyone leave. After much bargaining, the two teams gladly struck a deal and ended up giving both Redmond and Blutarch's souls in exchange for their freedom. The RED team was abducted by Tracer shortly after this incident.

In the future, Spy saw demons pouring out of the gates of Hell both his and the BLU team opened back then. In almost no time at all, the onslaught of demons had enslaved humanity and destroyed the world. No one stood a chance, not even Overwatch.

"Well, five minutes are up!" Merasmus shouted as he blasted the projector to bits. "For the record, I don't care about what happens to this world." He said as he held the soul-gargoyle in his arms. "I've got so many souls now that I can just move in with Bombinomicon in Hell." Merasmus cackled and disappeared in a flash of green light, leaving behind nothing but the screen. RED Spy took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was the only one who knew about the impending apocalypse. And by god, he would be the one to stop it.

 **Many years later...**

"Is this an antique?" Tracer was looking around in RED Spy's room, marveling at his mass collection of knives and handguns. She held an old-fashioned flintlock pistol with engravings on the side, closely examining it. Spy was sitting on a velvet armchair in front of the fireplace nearby, sipping from a glass of wine.

"Yes." Spy set his wineglass down. "It used to belong to an ancestor of mine. He was an assassin in the French Revolution." Tracer's face lit up.

"Ooh! Like in that 'Les Miserables' movie?" Spy nodded.

"Yes, but with less music and more murder." Spy stood up and took the pistol from Tracer. "It is said that he loaded his pistol with gold shot, made from the riches that he stole from french barons, He literally killed the rich with their own wealth." Spy grabbed a ramrod from the pistol's display case and heated it over the fireplace. "He would then throw his victims to the crowds of poor, watching as they cut open their corpses to find the gold shot buried within the barons." Spy took the red-hot ramrod and scraped the inside of the pistol's barrel with it. "So much gold has passed this barrel that a thin layer of extremely well tempered gold has formed inside." He pulled the ramrod out and sighed.

"Wow! How'd you manage to get all your antiques back?" Tracer looked around her. "Also, how'd you get Winston to let you redesign your room?" When compared to the other Overwatch-issued rooms, Spy's looked like a mansion. He had a large cobblestone fireplace installed and had the walls replaced with authentic mahogany from South Africa. His bed was made of genuine zebra pelt stuffed with Cornish game hen down feathers. He managed to recover all of his antiques, most of which have been auctioned off across the world by this point. His velvet armchair sat upon a lion pelt rug. Spy smirked at Tracer's question.

"Luckily, my Swiss bank accounts still exist in the future. I still have access to all the money gathered from my mercenary days." Spy walked up close to Tracer, his eyes meeting her's. "Remember what I said back when you tried to kidnap me?" Tracer blushed at the thought of that moment.

"Um...that if I wasn't trying to kill you, you'd ask me out?" Spy nodded.

"Well, at the moment, you aren't trying to kill me…" Tracer smiled awkwardly and stepped back.

"Sorry love. I already got myself a girl." Spy raised an eyebrow.

"Girl?"

"Her name's Emily. I'm bisexual." Spy breathed a sigh of relief.

"So you are telling me that I still have a chance?" Spy smiled gently and approached Tracer again. "Still, having a dinner with your colleague wouldn't hurt. Just think of it like a publisher having a meal with their editor." Tracer considered this fact. It wouldn't be cheating if she just had a casual dinner with her training partner...would it?

"Alright." Tracer said. "Know any good restaurants?"

"Only the finest." Spy knelt down and kissed Tracer's hand, taking her by surprise. Spy looked up at Tracer's mixed expression. "Meet me by Hangar 4 at 5 pm tomorrow. I shall have a private jet bound to Las Vegas waiting for us." Spy took a bow and left his room to call the jet, leaving Tracer completely stunned. Thoughts raced through her head. Why did she let Spy kiss her hand? More importantly, why did she like it? What about Emily? How would she feel about this? Tracer sighed.

"Well, can't keep Spy waiting…" She muttered to herself as she returned to her own room to get changed.

* * *

"Did you catch that?"

"Yes sir. Do you know what restaurant he's talking about?"

"Knowing Chavern, he's definitely heading to 'Le Chevalier'. It's where he takes all his dates."

"Even when he was that young? Are you sure? Keep in mind that Le Chevalier didn't exist in his time."

"If this is the same Chavern we're dealing with, then his natural instinct will lead him there."

"Hmm… well then, shall I send the assassination squad there?"

"Have them kill the staff and take their places. Arm them with KP9's, and bring one suit of riot gear along with an SKK shotgun if things get too messy."

"That's… a lot of gear. Are you sure that you don't want to get in there and take them out yourself?"

"I must stay. After what happened, I need to protect Sombra for as long as I can. They're getting suspicious of the two of us."

"Understood. Dispatching the squad now."

* * *

Las Vegas. What used to be a city full of gambling and cheap knockoff monuments is now a city full of culture and class. Fancy italian, french, and chinese restaurants replaced the bars. Theatres and opera houses replaced the casinos. Rich and famous people strolled through the streets, replacing the old crowd of rowdy men and women.

Tracer and Spy managed to blend into the crowd fairly well. Tracer was dressed in a scarlet strapless dress with matching scarlet high heels. Her usual spiky hairstyle was toned down, making her look more relaxed than usual. Her chronal accelerator was tied down firmly under her dress, making it not as noticeable. Spy had changed into a black tuxedo and took off his balaclava, letting Tracer see his face for the first time. His hair was graying at the sides, matching his stubble. His cheekbones and jawline were immaculate. They walked down the street together with linked arms, heading towards the finest French restaurant in the city: Le Chevalier.

"Ahh! Monsieur Ronseau!" The maitre d's face instantly lit up as he saw Spy walk through the door. The maitre d snapped his fingers, summoning three waiters to Spy and Tracer's side. "Gentlemen! Escort Monsieur Ronseau and his date to the Bloque Magnifique! They are VIP guests, so it is your job to treat them like royalty!" Tracer was feeling a bit overwhelmed at this situation. Never before had she ever been to a place where the chairs were made of gold-infused marble with ostrich down stuffed cushions. The waiters led them into the depths of the restaurant, navigating through the dense maze of tables and chairs. Tracer nudged Spy gently with her elbow.

"Is that your last name? Ronseau?" She asked. Spy shook his head.

"No. I just made that up to get a reservation here." Spy took a gold pocket watch out of his suit and checked the time on it. Tracer's eyes fell onto the watch.

"Isn't that your little doodad that lets you fake a death?" Spy looked up at Tracer and flipped his watch shut.

"I almost killed you because of this watch." Spy suddenly lifted a hand to Tracer's chest and rubbed Tracer's chronal accelerator. Tracer's face turned bright red with surprise at this gesture as she put her hand on Spy's forearm. "Unfortunately, your 'little doodad' outperformed mine." Spy smirked, knowing that his hand's position greatly bothered Tracer. He took his hand off her accelerator just as they arrived to their table. Tracer silently took her seat, her face still bright red. Millions of thoughts raced through her head as she tried to process what just happened.

"I'm a strong woman!" Tracer thought. "I have a girlfriend! Why didn't I stop him from practically fondling me? H-he's just so handsome! That's why! But that's still no excuse to let yourself be used like th-"

"Lena?" Tracer snapped out of her inner debate and looked back at Spy, who was pouring both of them a glass of red wine. She smiled sheepishly. "Please Lena. Don't try to hide it." Tracer felt her stomach fill with butterflies. "I know you like me. I know you are conflicted over your girlfriend and me. But just..." Spy's words trailed off as he looked at his wine. Tracer raised her glass to her lips to take a sip. Spy suddenly slapped the wineglass out of her hands and pulled out his revolver from his suit pocket. Instant panic erupted in the restaurant as Spy took aim at the waiters. The diners started to rush to the exits, hoping not to get caught in the crossfire. The waiters all took out miniature pistols and shot at Spy and Tracer. Spy ducked behind his table while Tracer got hit by a few small bullets. She instantly used her Recall and ducked under the table with Spy.

"Spy! What's going on!?" Tracer shouted. She felt the bullets slowly chipping away at the table. In response, Spy pulled a second revolver out of his suit and handed it to Tracer.

"Here. We will both need to fight if we stand any chance." Tracer took the revolver, its weight surprising her at first. She had never used a proper bullet weapon, always preferring to use pulse pistols or some other sort of futuristic weaponry. Spy handed her a speed-loader clip. "You have twelve shots. I have eighteen. Keep that in mind." Spy pulled a balaclava from his suit and put it on, covering his head once again. He swiftly leapt over the table and fired three times, all of his shots meeting their marks. He then turned invisible and ran off. Tracer's hand quivered both from fear and the bulky revolver. Suddenly, a waiter jumped behind Tracer's table with his gun out. Instinct took over as Tracer blinked behind him and put a powerful revolver bullet into his head, the recoil shoving her back.

"11." Tracer noted mentally. She blinked towards another waiter and hit him with the revolver's barrel. He recovered from the blow just as another waiter showed up to help him. Tracer suddenly blinked to their side and adjusted her aim. She fired twice more, nailing them both in the head. "9." She felt a newfound confidence in her revolver aim. She quickly took aim at a waiter on the other side of the room and fired. Her shot missed by a large margin, making the waiter notice her and fire back. In the midst of the gunfire, Tracer blindly shot two more revolver rounds, managing to get a lucky shot in. The waiter collapsed to the ground, dead. "6. Time to reload." Tracer opened the revolver's cylinder, emptied the chambers, and put in the speedloader clip. She pushed the cylinder back just as something caught her eye. Tracer saw Spy in the distance, brutally shanking a man to death. A waiter was creeping up behind him with a table leg, ready to smash Spy's head in. Tracer quickly shot twice at the waiter, hitting him in the legs. Spy heard the waiter fall to the ground and swiftly stabbed in the back. He gave Tracer a quick thumbs-up before turning invisible again.

Tracer suddenly heard the sound of a door being burst open. She turned around, and saw that one of the waiters had gotten their hands on a suit of riot gear. Tracer fired twice more at the armoured waiter, her bullets only briefly making him recoil. The armoured waiter pulled out a shotgun and unleashed a blast of pellets that Tracer only narrowly avoided. She blinked behind the waiter and fired point blank at his bulletproof helmet. The bullet's impact knocked him to the ground while making his ears ring. The waiter rolled over and fired another shotgun round. His gunfire made Tracer blink away, giving him time to recover from the shot. Tracer suddenly blinked behind him with a large bottle of vodka she got from the nearby minibar. She smashed the bottle onto the waiter's head, soaking his helmet in strong alcohol. Before he could recover, Tracer fired at the helmet, igniting the alcohol. In a blind panic, the waiter managed to throw off the burning helmet before it did too much damage. Tracer punched the man in the face and put the revolver to his burnt, exposed head.

*click*

She was out.

Great.

The waiter quickly shoved Tracer to the ground and recovered his dropped shotgun. He stood menacingly before Tracer with a shotgun aimed at her head. Just as Tracer braced herself for death, the waiter's head was suddenly blown to bits. He fell to the ground, revealing Spy. Spy smirked while shaking his head.

"Tsk tsk tsk. You lost count of your ammo." Spy walked up to Tracer and offered her a hand up, which she gladly took. "They had poisoned our wine. These waiters are actually Talon members. They knew we were coming to this restaurant and had set up a trap." As Tracer stook back up, she tripped over the dropped shotgun, making her lean on Spy for balance. She suddenly froze. Spy had his arms around her. "I know how you feel. Trust me. I've been there." Spy looked into Tracer's eyes. "From what I've learned…" Tracer's heart was soaring through the roof. Spy broke eye contact with Tracer as he let her go. "...this isn't true love." Tracer was taken by surprise at Spy's gallant move. "Be happy with your girlfriend. Be happy with the person who captured your heart. Don't let the moment squander your romance." Tracer nodded. Spy's lesson just opened her eyes. Before either of them could say anything else, the sound of police sirens grew in the distance. "Well, the moment has passed." Spy took out a spare invisibility watch from his suit and handed it to Tracer. "Back to work." Tracer smiled. The two of them activated their watches, allowing for a clean getaway.

 **A few weeks later...**

"Hello sir! Welcome to Washington!" Soldier saluted Winston as he and Spy got off their transport. Winston gave a salute back.

"At ease Soldier. Now, any reports of Widowmaker in the area?" Soldier nodded furiously.

"One report sir! The blue lady was spotted at the Smithsonian yesterday!" Spy raised an eyebrow.

"That's it? She could be anywhere by now." Spy sighed and walked off. "I'm going to make myself at home. Please direct me to the living quarters, Soldier." Soldier pointed towards the White House.

"The White House is our base of operations and living quarters!" It was clear the Soldier could barely contain his excitement. "I personally requested to sleep on Abe Lincoln's statue's lap in the Lincoln Memorial! It is cold and uncomfortable, but so warm at the same ti-"

"Alright Soldier. I get it." Winston held up a hand to silence Soldier. "Back to duty." Soldier gave a heel click and started to leave. Suddenly, Soldier paused mid-step. He faced Winston again with a look of suspicion on his face. "Winston...Do you…" BLU Spy started to sweat under his disguise. Did this idiot see through his disguise? "...know a monkey named Poopy Joe?" Winston breathed a sigh of relief.

"No I don't Soldier." Soldier opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, and shut it immediately after, looking disgruntled.

"Yeah...never mind. Besides, why did you get all sweaty after I asked you that question, sir?" Winston burst out in anger.

"Don't question your superiors! Get back to your station!" Soldier stumbled back, surprised at Winston's unexplained show of rage. He grudgingly left Winston alone, walking back to his post. Once Soldier was out of sight, Winston sighed in frustration.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this. This is too much stress for me to handle." BLU Spy activated his invisibility watch and left to meet up with RED Spy. "The sooner we find the damned bushman, the better."


	13. Chapter 13: The Hunt

**Chapter 13: The Hunt**

"B-bugger...bugger…" Sniper had been camping out in a ruined basement ever since Widowmaker shot him a day ago. The Dead Ringer lay beside him along with his rifle. The Dead Ringer had managed to let him get away from Widowmaker, but it didn't stop all the damage. Widowmaker's bullet left a hole in his right cheek, exposing the inside of Sniper's mouth. He was trying to sew it up with string stolen from the abandoned convenience stores. Finally, after half an hour of painful stitching, the hole in Sniper's cheek was sealed. He grimaced in pain as he set the bloody sewing needle down while rubbing his sore cheek. "Bloody sheila...I didn't bloody do it…" He wiped the blood off his cheek and stood up. He shouldered his rifle and pocketed the Dead Ringer, giving it a small pat. He's sure that Spy didn't mind him stealing his Dead Ringer as a backup plan against Widowmaker.

Sniper walked to a table and set his rifle and SMG down on it. He unloaded his weapons and started to take inventory on his ammo. "Hmm...bugger. 8 sniper rounds and 2 mags of SMG bullets left..." Sniper muttered to himself. He reloaded his weapons and walked to the door. His objective is to find the Overwatch camp by the White House. Easier said than done. He and Widowmaker were air dropped on the outskirts of Washington DC, so he now needs to make his way through the Deadlock gang's front line to get to his destination at the middle of the city. Of course, having the ability to fake your death is extremely helpful in this situation. Sniper walked back outside into the ruined street, checking for Deadlock Gang members. When he was sure the coast was clear, he pulled out a map of Washington from his pocket, closely examining it. From what he could see, he was about a mile away from where Widowmaker shot him. Sniper folded the map back up and quickly ran to the nearest abandoned building. The Deadlock gang have air supremacy over Washington, so Sniper couldn't risk staying out in the open. He ran from shelter to shelter, keeping an eye out for anyone. Just after he made it a block, Sniper spotted a pair of Deadlock gang members out scouting. Sniper couldn't afford to waste ammo, so he dove to the nearest building in a panic and burst through the door. Sniper froze. Five surprised Deadlock gang members stared back at him. Sniper frowned. "Ah bugger…"

* * *

"Did you see that?" One of the two Deadlock members that Sniper saw earlier exclaimed. The second gangster looked to the right, making the first gangster facepalm. "Not there you imbecile!" The first gangster pointed to the left. "The bushman just saw us and jumped into that building! We must follow him!" The two gangsters ran towards the building, revolvers at the ready. They kicked the door open just in time to see a Deadlock member shoot Sniper in the head. Everyone in the room watched as Sniper's limp corpse fell backwards to the ground. The gangster who shot him pointed to the two gangsters who just entered.

"Hey scumbags! Get your sorry sacks off the ground and bury this guy's body!" The gangster motioned to his group to leave. Right when the group turned their backs to the two gangsters, they both simultaneously lept at their exposed backs with their knives in their hands. They stabbed the two of them right off the bat, causing the rest of them to turn around in shock. The two gangster's disguises fell apart, revealing the RED and BLU Spies. Before the rest of the gangsters could react, the two Spies pulled out their revolvers and shot two more of them in the head, killing them. The last gangster fell to his knees.

"Please don' kill me! I gotta wife and kid at 'ome! I'm only on the Deadlock's side 'cause they threatened my family!" The gangster pleaded. RED Spy calmly put his revolver to the gangster's head and shot, blasting his skull to bits. RED Spy suddenly perked up. The distant sound of electric buzzing caught his ear.

"The bushman is still here! Spread out! Find him and kill him!" BLU Spy nodded as the two Spies swept through the area.

Confusion. That was what Sniper felt while he witnessed the scene. The Dead Ringer cloaked him just long enough for him to witness the RED and BLU Spy's massacre. "Did I just see the BLU Spy? How is he here? Why are they all the way out here? Why are they working bloody together?" Sniper's mind was filled with questions. Once his cloak wore off, he heard the two Spies coming after him. Sniper cleared his head for a moment and hid under a table. He stayed completely silent, listening for the Spies footsteps. "C'mon Sniper...think…" Sniper looked up. Two large glass mason jars were sitting a few feet away from Sniper. With no other option in sight, Sniper silently lunged from his hiding spot and grabbed the jars. He swiftly unzipped his pants and filled them both to the brim with urine. Sniper snirked. This was gonna be good.

BLU Spy was walking towards Sniper's position. He approached the door and kicked it open. Immediately, he was greeted with a jar of piss hurtling at his face.

 ***SPLASH!***

"AAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" BLU Spy reeled back in terror, gagging in disgust. "Oh it's in mon yeux! IT'S IN MON YEUX! OH WOE IS ME!" Sniper quickly reached for a second glass jar and unzipped his pants once more. "OH! THE STENCH! It is like a thousand dead skunks! A THOUSAND DEAD AUSTRALIAN SKUNKS!" BLU Spy collapsed to the floor, clutching his face while writhing with repugnance. His sobs drew RED Spy over.

"What's the matter?" RED Spy came into the room.

 ***SPLASH!***

"NOOOO! WHY NOW!?" RED Spy fell to his knees, dry heaving like mad. "You imbecile!" RED Spy drew his revolver and aimed at Sniper, who quickly bolted out a nearby window. RED Spy groaned, dropping his revolver to the ground to deal with the more pressing matter at hand. "Calm down! We've both been in this situation before!" RED Spy said to BLU Spy, who was still gagging on the floor.

"Mon dieu! I feel like I'm dying on the inside!" BLU Spy flailed on the floor, accidently smacking RED Spy on the face.

"NOOO! YOU GOT IT IN MY MOUTH!" RED Spy shouted. He then turned a sickly shade of green as he vomited all over BLU Spy, intensifying the situation. BLU Spy couldn't handle being vomited on and pissed on at the same time, making him hurl as well. RED Spy tried to weakly stand back up, but slipped on BLU Spy's vomit and fell back into the puddle of puke and piss. "AAARRRGH!"

* * *

Sniper used his head start to make as much distance as possible. He knew that his brain would probably explode from all the crap that just happened in the past ten minutes, so he might need some time to process all that. Sniper dove into a nearby alley for a break. He quickly assessed his current options. Going back to the Overwatch camp seemed like his best option. He needed to tell them that Spy had gone AWOL and had somehow brought the BLU Spy to this timeline as well. Sniper took a deep breath to calm himself down. From this point on, no one is to be trusted. Anyone could be a Spy.

 **A few hours later…**

"Sir!" Soldier 76 turned his attention to Pharah and Soldier, who had just burst into his office, out of breath. Soldier 76 stood up from his desk in a panic.

"What! What is it!?" Pharah paused to catch her breath, and replied.

"Sniper is still alive!" Soldier 76's eyes widened behind his mask.

"What, how? There should be no way he's walking around with a sniper bullet in his head!" Soldier 76 slammed his fist down on the table, startling Pharah and Soldier. "Also, why are you two jokers out of breath?"

"We were chased back to HQ by the Deadlock gang!" Soldier explained in a sharp voice. "We were showing weakness by getting chased around by those sorry sacks of scum! We are fully prepared to take a week...no...a MONTH'S worth of fati-" Pharah slapped her hand on Soldier's mouth, silencing him. Soldier 76 sat down in an exasperated manner.

"What I don't understand is how could Sniper possibly be alive after taking a round to the sk-what the hell is that smell?" Everyone in the room suddenly noticed the pungent odor in the room. They turned and looked to the door, seeing Winston and Spy standing there.

"Euch! Why do you two smell like urinals?" Pharah asked, pinching her nose shut. Soldier cleared his throat and tried to waft away the stench.

"They don't just smell like urinals! They smell like urinals and a bucket of vomit!" Despite all this, Spy and Winston kept their composure.

"Very funny. Why don't you idiots listen to what we have to say before gagging?" Spy lamented.

"Jack, we have grave news." Soldier 76 looked up at Winston. "Spy and I were patrolling the surrounding area as usual. We managed to eavesdrop on a Deadlock gang meetup. There, we saw them taking Sniper in as a member." Everyone in the room but Winston and Spy gasped. Winston pushed his glasses up and continued his lie. "They were willing to pay him double the amount we were going to in exchange for Overwatch secrets." Before anyone else could react, Spy chimed in.

"Indeed. Also, I must tell you that I think Sniper had been planning on turning traitor long ago." Spy pointed to his suit pocket. "Before he left for Washington, he stole one of my watches: the Dead Ringer." Soldier piped up, interrupting Spy.

"Ooh! It's that thing that lets you fake deaths, right?" Soldier 76 listened with interest.

"Anyways, I believe that he purposefully enraged Widowmaker so he can make his getaway." Spy smirked as he pulled out a new cigarette from his case. "After all, no one would hunt for a dead man." Spy turned around. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I will need to wash off this dumpster stench before it makes a mockery of me again." Spy tapped Winston on the shoulder with his cigarette. "I suggest you do to." Winston rolled his eyes as he brushed the ash from Spy's cigarette off his shoulder and accompanied him out the office, leaving everyone else in shock. Soldier and Pharah turned to look at Soldier 76, waiting for orders. Soldier 76's face gradually grew red as fury built up underneath him, making him shake with anger. He slammed his fist on the intercom button and barked out orders.

"ATTENTION ALL OPERATIVES! SNIPER IS ALIVE AND HAS GONE OFF WITH THE FUCKING DEADLOCK GANG! YOU ALL NOW HAVE A NEW PRIMARY TASK! BRING SNIPER IN DEAD OR ALIVE!" Soldier 76 took deep, anger-filled breaths as he lifted his fist off the intercom, his booming broadcast echoing through the White House. He shifted his glare to Pharah and Soldier, making them both immediately run out the office to carry out his orders. While they ran down the hall, Soldier piped up.

"Is it me, or is Spy suddenly really good friends with Winston?" Pharah looked over in confusion.

"Hmm... Come to think of it, it seems so!" Pharah stopped running as her mind filled with various thoughts, causing Soldier to stop with her. "Did you realize that he hasn't called Winston 'sir' once ever since he met him, while we're all forced to?" Soldier listened carefully to Pharah's theories. "Also, I thought Spy's training partner was Tracer? Why is he patrolling with Winston instead of her?" Pharah stroked her chin with a quizzical look on her face. "We need to follow him. This situation seems suspicious." Soldier suddenly interjected.

"No can do ma'am! Spy has the ears of a fox! No one can sneak around him. Everyone on my team and the BLU team have tried and failed." Pharah sighed.

"You know what, maybe we're overthinking this. Let's just keep an eye out for him from now on." Soldier nodded as the duo started running down the hall again.

* * *

It's cold, it's wet, it's dark, it's full of rubble. Sniper could go on and on about his temporary shelter, but it was the best he could find under the current situation. Moonlight shone through the cracks in the wrecked building's ceiling, also allowing the cold night air to seep in as well. The floor was covered in rubble and the walls would probably break if Sniper leaned on them. Luckily, Sniper still had a lighter on him to start a fire with. He gathered pieces of shattered wooden furniture within the room and made a decent campfire with it. Sniper sat by the fire, waiting for his dinner of canned beans to cook. He was still trying to process what happened today. He had many questions that seemed almost too illogical to even exist. Sniper stood up and walked towards the "porch" of the building, which was really just a room that had all its walls blown off. However, this made for the perfect vantage point, with the building being tall enough to get a good view. Sniper picked his rifle off the ground and started to survey the area through his scope. Except for some sparse Deadlock gang movement, everything was quiet…

"Enjoying the view, Mundy?" Sniper jumped with surprise as he instinctively whipped out his SMG and pointed it at the intruder. Widowmaker backed up with her hands up. "Non non non...I'm not here to hurt you." Sniper kept the SMG pointed at her as he backed her into a corner with a look of fury on his face.

"Why are you here!?" Sniper shouted. Widowmaker smirked.

"Ooh...Mundy...I didn't know that this was how you treated your women. Backing them into a corner...getting nice and close…" Sniper blushed at the lust in Widowmaker's voice as he backed off, his face still showing anger.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you sheila!?" Widowmaker smiled innocently as she sat down before Sniper's campfire.

"Mmm...I think your beans are almost ready! Mind if I stay by the fire?" Widowmaker said in a seductive voice. She motioned for Sniper to come closer. "Come on...can you tell me another story by the campfire? How about the one where you-"

"Amelie…" Sniper dragged Widowmaker's attention back. "You have ten seconds to explain why you're here before I make a necklace out of your teeth." Widowmaker gave a small giggle.

"I know. I was just joking with you." Widowmaker stood up. She took a deep breath before continuing. "First off, I want to say that I'm sorry, Mundy." Sniper could hardly believe his ears. Widowmaker, the cold and heartless assassin, just apologized to him! Sniper lowered his SMG slowly. "I was not myself then…" Widowmaker's expression suddenly turned solemn. "I haven't been myself for 8 years…" Widowmaker motioned for Sniper to sit down with her, which he did. She took a deep breath as she explained to him what she meant. "Back at Talon, they would give me weekly injections of depressant to keep my emotions suppressed. However, the depressant also acted as a brainwashing serum of sorts, turning me into the perfect killing machine. After Mercy recovered me from the Talon R&D labs, she and his boyfriend tried to undo the effects of the Talon injections. I was not fully cured until last night, which is when I started to come back to find you." Widowmaker sighed. "The depressant made me suspicious to everyone's motives and sharpened my temper, which is why I attacked you." Sniper scratched his head.

"Wait… I thought that you attacked me because of the remote?" Widowmaker nodded.

"Yes, but now that I replay the event in my head, I could see that your remote…" Widowmaker reached into Sniper's pocket and dug the remote out. She pointed to a red knob on the top of it. "...wasn't even set to the right frequency!" Sniper examined the knob.

"Wait...I had to set a frequency on that bloody thing?" Widowmaker nodded again.

"That is all in the past now. Now, onto the real reason I'm here." Widowmaker's expression became serious again, an expression that Sniper was familiar with. "Overwatch wants you dead." Sniper's expression quickly changed to one of confusion and shock. "They want us both dead. I've been eavesdropping on the Overwatch base and saw those idiot Spies slander us." Sniper nodded.

"So you know about them to…"

"I've been watching you the other day. Your encounter with the Spies." Widowmaker explained.

"So now they turned our only asset against us…" Widowmaker nodded.

"Yes. We are now on our own." Suddenly, the lid on the canned beans popped open, startling Sniper and Widowmaker for a moment. Sniper smiled while he quickly reached for his only paper plate and dumped the steaming beans onto it. He looked at Widowmaker and split the beans into halves. He took out his kukri and gently cut the paper plate in half, handing one half to Widowmaker.

"Eat up. We've got a long day tomorrow." Widowmaker smiled and took her half of the beans. She looked back up at Sniper.

"You know...It is a bit cold in here." Sniper looked at her. Before he could react, Widowmaker scooched closer to Sniper and put her head on his shoulder. "You really do have my thanks." Sniper looked at her with a mixture of awkwardness and comfort. "It's been forever since I felt this much gratitude towards someone, so don't ruin it for me, d'accord?" Sniper exhaled audibly.

"No need to thank me, Amelie. I just did my job." Sniper tried to sound as humble as he could in this situation. Widowmaker have Sniper one last smile before gingerly placing a spoonful of baked beans in her mouth.

* * *

"There you are…" Ana sat in a building located across from the building Sniper and Widowmaker were in, looking through a window. Her biotic rifle was aimed at the room they were in. Ana refocused her scope and zoomed in. "Funny...I thought that he would be with the Deadlock gang. He's just with Amelie instead." Ana thought to herself. She gave a small shrug. "All for the better. Two targets for the price of one." Ana smiled as she adjusted her aim towards Sniper.

* * *

"Amelie. Don't move." Widowmaker suddenly went rigid like Sniper asked. Her emotions might be back, but her instincts were still sharp as a tack. "There is a sniper aiming at this room. I can see their laser sights. As soon as they shoot me, I'll use the Dead Ringer. Run for my rifle and find a way to disrupt her." Widowmaker's eyes were on the little laser dot slowly inching towards Sniper's head. "Don't kill her. We don't want to get in more trouble tha-"

 ***BLAM!***

Sniper's fake corpse fell to the ground. Widowmaker immediately sprung off the floor and picked up Sniper's rifle. She took aim at Ana's room and shot a round at the lock that was holding Ana's window open. The heavy glass window fell onto Ana's rifle, trapping it in place. Widowmaker took this opportunity while Ana tried to free her rifle to run away with Sniper, who decloaked behind cover. "Come on! This way!" Sniper motioned towards the stairs. The duo were running down the stairs until they suddenly heard a group of people coming up. Their belt jingling and western accents indicated that they were Deadlock. Sniper and Widowmaker dove into a nearby room just as the Deadlock gang drew close. Suddenly, a spray of gunfire ambushed the gang from behind and shredded them. Sniper peeked out to see Heavy, Genji, and Mccree standing before the pile of dead gangsters. "Mates? Y'there?" Heavy suddenly pointed at Sniper's location.

"Little traitors are hiding there!" Sniper jumped back just as a hail of bullets blasted through the hall. Genji quickly Swift Striked towards Sniper, cutting the stitches on his cheek. Sniper recoiled in pain as he ran behind a corner with Widowmaker.

"Mundy! I have a plan! Grab onto my waist!" Sniper swiftly grabbed a hold of Widowmaker. He had a feeling that he knew what her plan was. Widowmaker jumped out of a nearby window and shot her grappling hook towards a nearby building across the street. Sniper felt Genji's shurikens slice through the air around him as he tried to hit them. Suddenly, a revolver shot rang out from the building, hitting Sniper in the foot. He grunted in pain and looked back. He could see Mccree setting up for another shot. Sniper returned fire with his SMG, forcing Mccree to take cover. Sniper and Widowmaker crashed through a window on the opposite building. Widowmaker managed to land on her feet, but Sniper's foot injury made him faceplant into the floor. Widowmaker gasped and came to Sniper's side. She felt his pulse. Still alive, just unconscious.

Widowmaker hoisted Sniper onto her shoulder as she dodged Mccree's revolver shots. She managed to escape deeper into the building, out of Mccree's sights. Before she left the room, she launched a venom mine beside the window that she and Sniper crashed through, anticipating for Genji to dive through it to pursue them. Sure enough, she was right. Just as she staggered away with Sniper on her shoulder, she heard the sound of coughing and hacking coming from the room. Widowmaker smirked as she set Sniper down in the middle of a hallway. She desperately tried to think of a way to wake him up. Seeing no other option, Widowmaker slapped Sniper's foot wound, causing him to wake up with a shout of pain. Genji suddenly tumbled out of the poisoned room, still wheezing and coughing. He quickly recovered and approached Widowmaker and Sniper with his katana.

"Ryu jin no ke o kurae!" Genji chanted loudly. A green dragon enveloped his sword as Genji's eyes started to glow. Before he could make a move, however, Sniper swiftly flung a thin piece of rubble at Genji, lodging it into the shining green opening in his helmet that housed his cybernetic eyes. Genji yelled out in pain as rubble piece dug into the opening, causing him to drop his sword and focus on trying to remove the rubble. Widowmaker looked at Sniper with surprise.

"Well, you sure do recover quickly from concussions." Sniper painfully stood back up as he grabbed onto Widowmaker's shoulder for support.

"We need to go. Now." Sniper grunted. Widowmaker gave a nod as the two of them staggered down the hallway, looking for an exit.


	14. Chapter 14: Ancestral Roots

**Chapter 14: Ancestral Roots**

"ALERT! CODE RED!" Athena boomed over the intercom at Overwatch Headquarters. Medic and Mercy both startled awake, still holding each other. The sound of heavy shotgun blasts echoed throughout the Headquarters, causing them to hurry out of bed and get dressed. Mercy tried to turn on the lights, only to find that the intruder had knocked out the power. The shotgun blasts started to close in towards Medic and Mercy's room, instilling panic within the couple. Suddenly, the door to their room was kicked down by a hooded figure, wisps of dark gases radiating off of him. Medic instinctively grabbed a lamp from the nightstand and swung at the intruder. He instantly turned into a mist, causing the lamp to phase right through him. Medic was caught by surprise, letting the intruder materialise again and shove Medic down to the bed. Mercy gasped.

"Gabriel?" The intruder looked at her and let out a raspy chuckle.

"Angela… It's been awhile." Reaper said in his deep, intimidating voice. He put his shotguns away and sat down in a hunched position on a nearby chair, his figure only barely illuminated by the emergency lights out in the hall. "I didn't come to kill you today, so you can stop being so afraid. Instead, I bring a warning for the better of all mankind." Medic suddenly dove behind Reaper's chair with the lamp still in his hand. He tried to smash it down on Reaper's head, only for Reaper to elbow Medic in the chest, sending Medic sprawling to the ground. "Who's this guy? He's really getting on my nerves." Reaper lamented. Mercy cleared her throat.

"He's my fiance." She turned to Medic. "Diedrich. Let him talk first." Medic sighed.

"Zhis man has evil written all over over him, Angela." Medic lamented while giving Reaper a nasty look.

"Hmm...Aren't you one of those mercenaries from the past?" Reaper asked. Medic nodded. "I thought so. Your scottish friend gave me quite the battle." Reaper cleared his throat. "However, this is not what I wanted to talk to you two about."

"Vhy did you come here? Could you not tell your story to some other Overvatch agent in a less secure area?" Medic questioned.

"Please. You two are the easiest to subdue. So if things go wrong for me…" Reaper suddenly sunk into the ground through a portal made of black mist. He suddenly reappeared directly in front of Medic's face. "...I can kill you both with ease." Medic gulped with fear as Reaper floated back to his chair.

"Enough threats Gabriel! Give us your message!" Mercy ordered. Reaper chuckled at the duo's fearful expressions.

"Yes, yes. I'll get on with it." He said. "I was tasked with retrieving Widowmaker from the Overwatch camp in Washington. However, it seems like some old associates of mine have decided to sabotage Overwatch from within." Mercy raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Old...associates?" She asked. Reaper sighed.

"How much do either of you know about Talon's history?" Reaper asked. The duo said nothing. "While Overwatch was secretly founded by Dell Conagher, Talon was created by a man who wished for Conagher's peacekeeping organization to die. His name...is Chavern Ronseau: a sharply dressed French assassin." Reaper watched the shocked expressions grow on Medic and Mercy's face. "Do we know any sharply dressed French assassins?"  
"Spy…" Medic muttered under his breath. "Spy is zhe founder of Talon?" Reaper nodded.

"Hard to believe, huh? Chavern is a dangerous and secretive man, always talking about his 'destiny'. He seemed to not only create Talon to create conflict in the world, but also to achieve 'peace with the outsiders', as he put it." Reaper reached into his black leather trench coat and pulled out a document. "However, I think I might finally know what these 'outsiders' are." Reaper spilled the document's contents across the table. Photographs of a hellish landscape and ominous castles scattered across the table's surface. Medic instantly recognised the pictures.

"I-It's Hell!" Medic urgently uncovered one of the photos and held it to the light coming from the hall. "I recognize zhis place! It's Helltower! One of zhe gates to Hell my team and I opened up!" Both Reaper and Mercy stared back at Medic blankly, taken back at what he just said. Reaper cleared his throat.

"I don't know if this is what Chavern was talking about, but I found these photographs in his top secret vault, so I have reason to believe so." Reaper leaned in close to the duo. "I am committing treason at the highest level by sharing this information with you. If I return to Talon, I'll be prosecuted and killed. If I return to Overwatch, the same thing will happen. That is why I am suggesting that we form a private task force to investigate." Reaper stood back up and gave a salute to Mercy. "Well then...Ma'am. I am at your service." Mercy looked up in disbelief. If this situation had really reached a point to where Reaper was willing to come back to Overwatch, then she really had no choice. However, the possibility of this just being a ruse is still high. Mercy stood up to her full height and tried to look as authoritative as she could, which was rather difficult, considering that Reaper is a full five inches taller than her.

"Gabriel. You have murdered countless Overvatch agents and caused millions of dollars vorth of property damage. If ve believe vhat you say and go vith you, considering you are even telling zhe truth, ve vould immediately become vanted criminals." Just after Mercy got the words out of her mouth, Reaper suddenly turned back into a cloud of black mist and floated right up to Mercy, making her recoil with fearful surprise. Reaper's mask is faintly visible within the cloud, staring intensely at Mercy. Medic saw this and lunged at Reaper once again, only to be struck by a hand that materialized out of the cloud.

"Angela. This is not a matter of becoming criminals. If you refuse my offer, I will be alone in this fight. No one else in the world suspects Chavern like I do. When doomsday arrives, both you and your boyfriend will know that you could have helped to prevent the apocalypse." Reaper materialised into himself again and sighed, looking at Mercy's terrified expression. "I need as much help as I can get. So for the good of the world, you both must trust me." Mercy stared into Reaper's mask covered eyes. For the first time in forever, she legitimately felt a sense of desperation in Reaper's voice. She held a stiff upper lip, trusted her gut, and nodded at Reaper's request. He looked over to Medic, who still had a doubtful look on his face.

"I vill help you...on one condition." Medic walked over to his lab coat and dug through its pockets. He pulled out an electrical implant and tossed it to Reaper, who calmly caught it. "Turn into smoke and insert zhis implant into your hip. Zhis vay, if you betray us, ve can...correct your behavior...vith zhe press of a button." Without a word, Reaper nodded and turned his hip into mist. He carefully inserted the implant, swiftly yanking his hand out before he materialized again. Medic and Mercy were both surprised at Reaper's eagerness to install the implant. Suddenly, Reaper fell to the ground, shouting in pain. "Sorry, zhe implant must bind vith your body so zhat it von't fall out vhen you enter wraith form." Medic explained coldly. After a few more seconds of excruciation, Reaper exhaled and calmly stood back up. Mercy slowly reached to her Caduceus Blaster sitting on the shelf nearby, expecting Reaper to lash out in anger.

"It's alright. As long as I get your trust for this task, any price is reasonable." Mercy put her hand back. Was this situation so serious that one of the most volatile and dangerous men in the world would be willing to take that much pain and yet still control his temper? Medic smiled.

"If you can go through zhat pain and not turn on us, then you have earned our trust, mein freund." Medic affirmed. He offered a handshake to Reaper, who gladly took it.

"We must leave at once. From now on, we are all traitors to Overwatch and Talon." Reaper stated. Medic and Mercy rushed around their room, changing out of their pyjamas and packing their gear. Within a few minutes, they were ready to depart. A look of concern suddenly appeared on Mercy's face.

"Wait...how did you get past zhe guards and zhe other Overvatch operatives?" She asked, bracing herself for the answer.

"Hmm...you might want to use your Resurrect right before we leave. Everyone here is dead but us." Mercy grimaced. Just as she expected. "Come on. Did you expect me to have fifty tranquilizer darts to knock them all out or something?" Mercy sighed. It was probably for the best.

"So. Vhere are ve going exactly?" Medic asked in an eager tone.

"I suspect that the impending demon apocalypse has something to do with Chavern disrupting the space-time continuum." Reaper looked back at Mercy and Medic's confused expressions. "Recently, I had noticed that Chavern would sometimes pull out a golden pocket watch in private and whisper things into it, as if he was having a conversation with it. I bribed one of the engineers who designed the watch to tell me what it did. He said that it was a radio transmitter that could talk to people in the past or future, provided that they also have the watch."

"So Spy is contacting someone in zhe past?" Medic interjected. Reaper nodded.

"That is why our first destination...is April 26, 1970. That's the date that Chavern's clock was always set to. We are going to highjack the Slipstream 2.0 to get there." Medic and Mercy nodded. As the trio left for the hangar, Medic leaned over to Mercy's ear and whispered.

"You know, if zhis whole situation vas some sort of story, zhen Reaper teaming up vith us is certainly one big 'deus ex machina'." Mercy giggled.

"A 'deux ex machina' is an unexpected solution to save zhe main characters from a perilous situation. I vould say zhat Gabriel's appearance is more of a coincidence zhan zhat." Mercy corrected. Medic smiled sheepishly.

"Ach. Vhatever. I vas never very good at literature anyvays."

"I zhink ve should trust Gabriel on zhis one. After all…" Mercy patted Medic's coat pocket. "...ve do have a contingency plan." Medic nodded as the two of them continued to follow Reaper down the halls. After a few minutes of navigating, they had finally reached the Slipstream 2.0 in the hangar. Reaper turned into mist and seeped into the cockpit of the Slipstream. He unlocked the doors from inside and started the engine. Medic and Mercy quickly ran aboard the passenger area as Reaper entered in various coordinates and data into the Slipstream's terminal.

"Vait a minute...I thought only Tracer could fly zhis transport!" Medic exclaimed. Reaper heard him and chuckled.

"You think you Overwatch people are so smart? Winston just ripped the controls right off of the standard Talon transports. It's just a set of regular Talon controls with some coordinates to enter in here and there." Reaper refocused to his task at hand. "Alright, prepare for the jump!" Medic and Mercy strapped on their seatbelts as the Slipstream 2.0 hummed to life.

"Vait! One moment!" Mercy yelled. Reaper groaned and stopped the engine. Mercy raised her hand into the air as the wings on her suit started to glow. "Heroes never die!" A flash of yellow energy pulsated out of her hand, enveloping the entire base. Mercy sat back down. "Alright. Let's go." The engine was restarted, and with a push of the boost lever, the Slipstream 2.0 vanished in a flash of bluish-white light, leaving the era of Overwatch behind.

* * *

"Thanks, Mr. Ziegler!" the little girl exclaimed happily, her hand clutching a giant orange lollipop. She gave a joyful wave with her short arms to Gerhardt Ziegler, an old, tall, and gaunt man who manned the cash register. Gerhardt waved back, his heart warming at the little girl's smile.

"Goodbye Sabine! Be careful on your way back!" Gerhardt cautioned. The girl exited the candy shop with a spring in her step, ready to munch on her lollipop. Gerhardt chuckled. It was moments like those that gave his little german candy shop on the corner of Main Street the charm that it has. He hobbled over to his shop's window and peeked out for a brief moment, adjusting his glasses to clear his vision. No customers in sight. Gerhardt shrugged. He already earned plenty of money for today, so it wouldn't hurt to close up early. Besides, that would leave him with more time for...personal matters. Gerhardt peered down at the secret drawer under the counter. Only he knew what it contained. What dark secrets it held, hidden under its friendly candy shop persona.

Gerhardt left his counter and walked to the door. He flipped the "open" sign hanging there over, revealing the word "closed". He drew the curtains across the shop's windows and shut off the lights. He walked back to his counter and reached under it, feeling for the little metal lock. He fumbled around for a bit before finally pressing down a small mechanism. A series of quiet clicks sounded from the lock as it released a small compartment on the underside of the counter. Gerhardt reached into the compartment and pulled out a small golden pocket watch. A miniscule object if seen by the average person, but Gerhardt knew that it was the key to save the world. He had been receiving messages from from a man he only knew as "the man in red". Although the man in red hadn't sent any new messages for a while, his instructions was still only to send over his family database, the complete records of his entire family tree. Why? He didn't know. Just that it would help save the future.

* * *

"Angela!" Medic shook Mercy's shoulder, trying to wake her up. "Angela! Ve have arrived! You von't believe vhere ve are!" Mercy slowly stirred, her vision blurred by the bright lights coming from a distance. Once her eyes adjusted, she could see that they were in a forest. It was late afternoon, the sun still shining down with decent intensity. She saw Medic kneeling before her, dressed in normal civvies instead of his usual lab coat. He held a sundress, panties, stockings, sandals, and a bra in his arms and dumped them on Mercy's body. "Here. Get changed. Ve must move before dark." Mercy sat up, gathering the clothes in her arms.

"Diedrich… vhere are ve?" She asked groggily. Medic smiled. He started to speak German, taking Mercy by surprise.

"Look at where we are! We're in Hessburg! " He said. Mercy's eyes widened in surprise.

"H-Hessburg?" Medic nodded. He pointed to a nearby sign. The words "Willkommen in Hessburg" were etched into it, outlined in vibrant gold. Mercy gasped. She stood back up with the energy of a little girl.

"The same Hessberg my grandfather was raised in?" She looked around with excitement. Her grandfather often spoke of his time as a boy spent in Hessburg's Old Man's forest. The honeysuckle bushes underneath the grand spruce, the old tire swing hanging from the oldest oak tree there, the Little Woman's Creek, Mercy truly felt as if she was living the fairy tales that her grandfather spoke about. She clapped her hands in glee "My lord! I-it's just like I imagined! My-"

"If you don't mind, some of us here don't speak german." Reaper's growling voice caught the duo's ears. Mercy turned around. Reaper was standing a fair distance behind her, looking as serious as ever. "You two probably know that we are currently outside of Hessburg, a tiny german town west of the Old Man's forest. We have a mission to accomplish here, so if you don't mind, get changed as soon as you can. Then you can frolic around as much as you want. We hit the town at dusk." Reaper then turned back into black smoke. "I'll be surveying the area until we leave. Unlike you two, I can't blend into the crowd very well." Mercy watched as Reaper floated away like a ghost. She sighed as she walked behind a nearby bush to get changed.

"You know, Reaper is a lot like a Drude. I vonder if any children vill see him?" Mercy rambled as she threw her old panties over the bush, hitting Medic in the face. Medic took the panties and pocketed it.

"It vould be quite a shock to zhem, I suppose. Seeing the nightmarish Drude zhat zheir parents alvays told stories about." Medic responded. After a few more moments of changing, Mercy stepped out from behind the bush.

"Vell? How do I look?" Medic looked up. The yellow sundress seemed to be made for Mercy, giving her a cheerful look. She had left the stockings behind, showing her perfect, pale legs off. The sandals also seemed to look better on someone without stockings. Her hair was let down from its usual ponytail, adding to her casual look. Medic smiled.

"You know...ve haven't gotten a moment to ourselves in a long time…" Mercy's expression turned intimate as she slowly walked up to Medic.

"Let's take a valk. I vould love to relive zhis fairy tale vith you." Mercy suggested as she clung to Medic's arm. A childish grin slowly grew on his face.

"Race you to zhat tree over zhere!" Medic said. Mercy giggled as she and Medic took off sprinting, brushing through the sunbathed forest. The next few hours were filled with running free through the forest, games of tag, tree climbing, and weaving honeysuckle flowers into crowns. In short, it had been the most picturesque afternoon of their lives. After these few hours of childhood nostalgia, Medic and Mercy returned to where they started and collapsed to the ground, tired. The sunset bathed the forest in an orange glow. They both looked at each other's red, sweaty, and joyous faces, listening to each other's breaths. Before long, Mercy rolled closer to Medic, her face only inches from his. She gave him a passionate kiss, just as an end this wonderful day. Medic embraced her body as the two made out on the ground, still warm from the sun.

"Hey there, lovebirds." Medic and Mercy startled and looked up. Reaper was standing over them, his dual shotguns in his hands "It's dusk. Time to move." Mercy quickly rolled off Medic, the two of them looking clearly embarrassed. They both stood back up, ready to listen to Reaper's instructions. "Alright. From the info that I gathered in the area, there is only one man in all of Hessburg with a gold pocket watch." Reaper took out a small pad of paper from his pocket with an address scrawled onto it. "'445 Hauptstraße'. I believe that's his address. If you two can translate that for me and lead the way, that would me nice." Mercy took the paper and nodded. She and Medic started walking towards the town, with Reaper cautiously trailing behind like a shadow.

* * *

"442, 443, 444, 445!" Mercy looked up from her paper. "445 Hauptstraße! It's here!" It was already nighttime by the time the trio had located their target, a small candy shop on the corner of Main Street. Medic looked at the darkened candy shop. Its blinds were closed and its door was locked. He looked at the sign above the shop, "Ziegler's Süßigkeiten".

"Ziegler?" Medic turned to Mercy. "Do you know anyzhing about zhis store, Angela?" Medic noticed the shocked expression on Mercy's face. "Angela? Vhat do you know?" Mercy's eyes were filled with recognition, as if her fairy tale of a day couldn't get any better.

"Vhen I vas a girl, my mother alvays told me stories about my great great grandfather. She said zhat he, along vith his best friend, Mr. Ludwig, vorked to revolutionize medicine forever. After several heated debates about ethics, my great great grandfather quit and opened a candy shop on zhe corner of Main Street. I just never knew zhat zhe Main Street vas zhis exact one!" Medic looked slightly uncomfortable when Mercy brought up the name "Ludwig", but soon recovered.

"So zhis is zhe man…" He muttered, stroking his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"Come on! What's the holdup!?" Medic and Mercy looked to the rooftop where Reaper was lurking. Reaper turned into smoke and floated down towards the entrance of the candy shop. He pulled out his shotguns and blasted the door to smithereens before barging in, taking Mercy by surprise.

"Vait! Gabriel! Zhis is my great great grandfather! Don't kill him!" Mercy cried. Reaper looked back.

"I'm not going to kill him. I'm just going to ask a few questions." Medic and Mercy reluctantly followed Reaper into the shop. The interior was dark, what with all the lights turned out. Medic walked over to the light switch and flicked it on, illuminating the shop. Mercy drank in the colourful sight of candies of all different shapes and sizes line the room. From a nearby lollipop flower arrangement too the rainbow of pastries in the display. Reaper suddenly nudged her, bringing her attention back. "Don't get distracted. Remember, Chavern is contacting this man, so he's probably dangerous."

Just as Reaper got the words out of his mouth, Gerhardt suddenly popped up from behind the counter with a revolver in his hands. He shot at Reaper, hitting him in the shoulder. Reaper's temper flared as he turned into smoke and floated menacingly towards Gerhardt, making him back away in terror. Reaper materialized in front of him and knocked the revolver out of his hand. He rammed his elbow against Gerhardt's head, causing him to fall limp.

"NO!" Mercy reached out towards Gerhardt. "How could you Reaper!? I know he's not dead, but zhat concussion could have done serious damage!" Reaper waved his hand dismissively.

"I'm a trained assassin. I know the difference between a killing blow and a stunning blow. Now let's not waste time and get this old man tied up to a chair." Reaper called Medic over for assistance as the two of them hoisted Gerhardt up and sat him down to a chair. Reaper took a large wad of sticky toffee from a nearby container and slathered it onto Gerhardt's arms before firmly sticking them to the chair. "This should hold for now." Reaper said. He put his shotguns away and started scanning the floor around them. Suddenly, a small golden glimmer caught Reaper's eye. He went over and saw the golden pocket watch resting on the floor. He picked it up and examined it curiously.

"Vait!" Reaper looked up. Medic walked to him, his eyes on the watch. "Open zhe vatch. I need to see something." Reaper flicked the watch open. Instead of a regular clock face, there was a small, this watch had a screen. A small blue half circle was displayed on the edges of the screed, slowly regenerating back into a full circle. "No! Zhe man escaped!" Medic yelled in desperation. Reaper looked confused.

"How? He's right here, if you haven't noticed." Medic took another look at the watch. The blue circle had fully regenerated. Without warning, Medic picked up Gerhardt's dropped revolver and shot Reaper in the head. Reaper's body flung backwards, collapsing to the ground. Mercy shrieked. Medic held up his hand.

"Vait for it…" Before long, a loud electrical buzzing sound came from Reaper's location as the real him gradually faded into view. Reaper was clutching his head, looking very befuddled.

"W-w-what just happened?" Reaper stuttered. He looked at his fake body on the floor. It was so realistic that it was even bleeding from a fake bullet wound in its head. Medic gave Reaper's shoulder a pat and pointed to the watch in his hand.

"Now ve definitely know zhat Spy has something to do vith zhis. Zhis is one is his vatches, zhe Dead Ringer." Reaper and Mercy both tilted their heads in confusion. Medic sighed. He pushed his glasses up as he explained the concept of the Dead Ringer to Mercy and Reaper.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Reaper lamented. "If that's true, then we have no time to lose." Reaper pulled out his shotguns again and briskly walked towards the back door of the candy shop. "We're moving. NOW!" Medic armed himself with Gerhardt's revolver and followed Reaper out the door, with Mercy trailing after him.

 **1 hour ago…**

"Shhh…" BLU Spy felt the blade of his knife rummage through Gerhardt's back muscles as he covered his mouth. "Gerhardt Ziegler, I have been sent by the man in red to tell you that he is grateful for your help, but will no longer be in need of your services." Gerhardt struggled to break free, but soon goes limp.

BLU Spy released his body, watching it crumple to the floor of his candy shop. He took out his cigarette case and pressed a few buttons on it. A small set of camera lens popped out of the back of the case's cover. BLU Spy aimed the lens at Gerhardt's retina and took a picture. As he waited for the picture to be processed, he enjoyed a nice caramel from a nearby shelf. He heard his cigarette case's beeps, signifying that it was done. BLU Spy smiled deviously as he selected his newest disguise.

A familiar cloud of greyish-blue smoke enveloped BLU Spy, lasting for a few seconds. Once the clouds lifted, BLU Spy looked down at his new Gerhardt disguise. A perfect replica. He dragged Gerhardt's body out back where he disposed of it in a dumpster. His knife strike was so accurate that it barely left any blood behind to clean up. BLU Spy smiled. Now all that he had to do was to wait for Medic, Mercy, and Reaper to show up tonight.

*ring ring

BLU Spy picked up the Dead Ringer from Gerhardt and answered it. "Hello? RED Spy? Did you get your Dead Ringer back?" BLU Spy waited for a response. A full 5 seconds passed before a familiar voice rang out in the background.

"I told you fellas that Sniper ain't no liar!" BLU Spy paused, a look of shock filling his face. "Howdy there BLU Spy! RED Engineer here. I gotta say, it was real smart of you to put a speaker function on this 'ere time-distortion radio. Now everyone 'ere knows how much of a lyin' snake you are." BLU Spy was at a loss for words. How did they get busted? "I'll leave it up to you to guess how we found you out, but lemme just say, the Overwatch folks ain't too happy that you killed Winston and impersonated him for a while. Also, we caught your associate." BLU Spy waited in fear for what Engineer might say next. "I never thought that Scout would betray us like that, but still. Funnily enough, it was our own Spy that pointed the little snake out!" BLU Spy smirked. He remembered how he and RED Spy made fake video tapes to frame Scout. "Hey Spy! C'mere and say a few words to this soon to be dead man!"

"Of course. Pass the watch." BLU Spy sighed in relief. "Insolent scum! You shall soon learn that no one defies Overwatch and gets away with it!" Confusion swept over BLU Spy. How did RED Spy not get called out even after Sniper saw them together? Suddenly, BLU Spy heard tapping coming from the Dead Ringer's speakers. "Ever since you have been called out within our ranks, I have not had a moment's peace!" The tapping was getting much more rhythmic. A thought popped into BLU Spy's head. He quickly took out a pen from his suit and started to translate the tapping into morse code on a spare candy wrapper as RED Spy continued to rant about BLU Spy's stupidity. After a minute of solid tapping and shouting, RED Spy finally concluded his rant. "I hope that you get the message of this warning. You are a dead man!" The feed ended, leaving the candy shop eerily quiet. BLU Spy looked down at the wrapper and read the morse code.

"I have received the Ziegler family database. Shame that you didn't kill Gerhart before he had children. DO NOT COME BACK UNTIL YOU HAVE TAKEN CARE OF YOUR PURSUERS." BLU Spy grumbled. His share of the bounty no longer seemed to be worth all the trouble he's in now. "Come on Spy. You can do this. All you have to do is kill those three meddlers and Overwatch's riches shall be yours." With that encouraging thought in mind, BLU Spy pulled out his revolver and ducked behind the counter. "Three clean shots…that's all I need."


	15. Chapter 15: Chaos Within

**Chapter 15: Chaos Within**

"That's it! Bring them in!" Soldier 76 barked. Sniper and Widowmaker were tossed through the door, their hands tied behind their back. They both collapsed onto the hard tile floor, clearly injured and fatigued. Heavy, Genji, Ana, and Mccree each walk into the office, their weapons aimed at the duo's heads. Soldier 76 examined the injuries that the four had sustained while trying to capture Sniper and Widowmaker. One side of Genji's eye slit was dimmed out, not emitting its usual green glow. His breathing seemed raspy as well. Ana's rifle seemed to have a large dent on one side. Blood seeped from a wound on her arm. Heavy's body was covered in bruises, his clothes ripped and tattered. Mccree's cybernetic hand was blasted clean off. Soldier 76 looked down at Sniper and Widowmaker, who were writhing on the floor with exhaustion. Soldier 76 angrily walked over and kicked Sniper in the stomach, making him cough up a bit of blood. Widowmaker watched with rage, but could not do anything without having her head blown off. Soldier 76 grabbed Sniper by the collar of his shirt and raised him into the air.

"You little sack of shit! You think that you can just turn traitor on us and get away with it!?" Soldier 76 threw Sniper against a wall. Sniper regained his footing and balanced himself. He weakly put up a hand as he tried to catch his breath.

"M-mate stop!… I have somethin' to tell you!" Soldier 76 ignored him and briskly approached Sniper once again. With no other choice, Sniper slipped the Dead Ringer out of his sleeve and flipped it open just as Soldier 76 threw a punch at his face.

CRACK!

Sniper's body flew backwards, a trail of blood pouring out of his nose. Soldier 76 recoiled in surprise, his fist covered in blood. He didn't expect for his punch to be so powerful. He rubbed his fist and sighed. "I guess I punched a bit too hard." He looked down remorselessly at Widowmaker, her eyes filled with fury. "Sorry Widowbitch. I guess I just killed your partner in crime." Soldier 76 went back to his desk and sat back down, wiping the blood off his fist with a handkerchief. He tossed the bloody handkerchief onto Sniper's body. "Alright. I want Widow put in a maximum security cell. 24/7 surveillance. Also, get this body out of of my office and get those blood stains cleaned up. It'll stain if you leave it too long." Ana nudged the side of Widowmaker's head with the barrel of her rifle, signalling for her to stand up. She continued to lie down in quiet protest. Heavy grabbed her by the ankle and dragged her out of the room towards her cell, the rest of the operatives leaving with him. Soldier 76 sat down, his head still clouded with anger.

"So now that your bodyguards are gone…" A loud electrical buzzing noise grabbed Soldier 76's attention, causing him to look up. Sniper faded into view in front of him, the Dead Ringer in his hand. "Mate! Please hear me out! It's not what is looks like!" Soldier 76 lunged at Sniper once again. This time, however, there were no people around to stop Sniper, allowing him to retaliate. He grabbed a nearby chair and swung it at Soldier 76, hitting him square in the chest. Sniper took advantage of this blow and dashed to Soldier 76's desk. He grabbed a pen from it and immediately tackled Soldier 76 to the ground, holding the pen to 76's throat as a shiv. "If you promise to listen to me, I won't turn this pen's ink bloody red." Sniper threatened. With no other option, Soldier 76 nodded. Sniper backed up slowly, still pointing the pen at him.

* * *

"Well, the bushman actually managed to talk some sense into Jack." RED Spy muttered. He looked at one of the many computer screens before him, seeing Sniper holding Soldier 76 at penpoint.

"I would say that now is as good as a time as any to abort! He is about to blow our cover!" BLU Spy replied frantically. "I'll get the time machine ready."

"No. You go back alone." RED Spy ordered. "I still have a contingency plan to deal with situations like this." RED Spy stood up from his chair and took a piece of paper labeled: "Contingency plan A". He tucked the paper into his suit as he headed to the exit of the room. "Before you go back to Ziegler's candy shop, take the set of instructions that will be under your pillow in your headquarters with you. Follow them to the letter and do not return until you have accomplished your task."

"Alright. I will be leaving in 20 minutes." RED Spy heard BLU Spy turn off his radio. RED Spy then pulled a small device out of his pocket, his thumb hovering over the single red button on it.

"I'm afraid you won't be telling the truth now, bushman." RED Spy whispered menacingly as he gave the button a firm press.

* * *

"My god…" Soldier 76 muttered. He stared dumbfounded at his computer screen as Sniper looked on. On the screen, Scout could be seen walking down a corridor with BLU Spy. Before long, they stopped in the middle of the hall and started talking. As they talked, clouds of smoke enveloped BLU Spy as his disguise started to take form. After a few seconds, a flawless Winston disguise emerged, every detail perfect down to the fur. Scout smirked as the duo continued down the hall. Sniper reached over and shut off the feed, looking at Soldier 76's shocked expression. "W-Winston...all this time...you were a Spy?" Suddenly, Soldier 76's expression turned urgent. He stood up and grabbed Sniper by the collar of his shirt, lifting him into the air. "W-where did he take the real Winston!? Tell me!" He shouted.

"My guess is that the real Winston is dead. That BLU Spy would've needed to kill the bloke to get a new disguise, so he needed to kill Winston to...erm..." Sniper's words died away as he witnessed the truth slowly hit Soldier 76. Soldier 76 lowered his head and put Sniper back down. He walked over to his desk with a blank look in his eyes and pressed the intercom button.

"Everyone, we are leaving Washington at once. Someone else is gonna have to deal with the Deadlock. Everyone pack up and meet by the airfield in an hour. Also, Scout. Please report to administration immediately." Soldier 76 released the button, listening to his broadcast echo down the halls. "You may go Sniper. You've been cleared." Soldier 76 said without even looking up at him. Sniper nodded and quietly headed towards the door.

"You're...really contollin' your temper over this, mate." Sniper inquired. Soldier 76 slowly hobbled over to his desk chair and sat down with a defeated look in his eyes. He took deep breaths as he put his hand to his forehead.

"I...I'm stepping down… get someone else as the new Overwatch leader, because I won't be taking the job." Soldier 76 walked to the locked cabinet in his room. He took out the key for it and slowly unlocked the door, letting it swing open. Inside, his old Pulse Rifle and jacket with a large red 76 stitched onto the back of it rested inside; they were a memoir from his vigilante days. Ever since he got back into Overwatch, he had been wearing the standard green and tan uniform. Soldier 76 took his jacket out of the cabinet, shaking the dust off of it. With a flourish of blue, red, and white, he swung the jacket over his shoulders and put it on. The moment he zipped it up, Sniper saw a fire reignite in Soldier 76's eyes. "I'm going to find this BLU Spy. I don't know where he is, but he is a dead man." Soldier 76 grabbed his Pulse Rifle and stocked up on ammo. He walked out of the door, Sniper stepping aside as he brushed past him.

"So...who d'you reckon we find to replace you?" Sniper asked cautiously.

"Not my problem. Figure it out for yourselves." Soldier 76 replied before exiting the room. Sniper watched as he disappeared into the elevator without a second glance, leaving the office unusually vacant.

"Ahh piss."

* * *

The shriek echoed throughout the base. It was so loud and shrill that it managed to wake Demoman up from his drunken slumber, causing him to yell in surprise. He rubbed his head as he looked around the training hall for the source of the scream. He saw a crowd gathered around a bench. Demoman got up and stumbled over to investigate. He saw Dva in the crowd and joined up with her. "So. What did I miss?" Dva turned around and faced Demoman, her face tear stained and red, causing Demoman to become concerned. "Wait. Why are you cryin' sweetums? Dunnae worry. You can tell me anythin'." Demoman put an arm around Dva's shoulders. Suddenly, Dva erupted into sobs and buried her face into Demoman's chest, causing him to hold her tighter.

"W-W-Winston's dead!" Dva stuttered between sobs. Demoman gasped.

"What!?" He looked deeper into the crowd, his eye scanning for who or what everyone was gathering around. His vision fell onto Tracer. She was crying uncontrollably as Spy held her hand, trying to comfort her.

"H-h-how? W-why would an-n-nyone kill him?" Tracer blubbered. Spy sighed. Tracer had lost all control after hearing of Winston's death. "W-wait! M-maybe we can find th-the body...a-and give it to M-Mercy and Medic s-so they can r-revi-" The crowd looked away from Tracer in discomfort. Spy put his hand on Tracer's shoulder.

"Lena. Winston has been dead for more than a month by now. Even if we found the body-" Spy was interrupted as Tracer angrily brushed his hand off. She stood back up with an angry look on her face.

"How do we know if we don't try!?" Tracer turned to the crowd. "Come on gang! We gotta scan this whole base for Winston's body!" Nobody said anything. Tracer's temper flared. "Do you all just not care!? We need to find him! We can still bring Winston back! Come on!" Tracer's voice started to waver. "W-we need to s-search...we need…" Tracer looked down and collapsed onto her knees. She started crying again. Sniper gently nudged Spy on the shoulder.

"Now y'see why I kind of hesitated for a few days before tellin' the whole base about Winston?" Sniper muttered. Spy took Tracer's hand and knelt down.

"Come on. I'll take you back to your room." Tracer nodded. The crowd parted as Spy led Tracer away, her face still filled with sorrow. As they headed down the halls, Tracer suddenly stopped. Spy looked back. "What's the matter?" He asked. Tracer walked a bit closer to Spy.

"Your room is much nicer...I'd like to...spend the night there." She muttered. Spy sighed.

"Lena. You are not thinking straight. Remember the talk we had at the restaurant? Don't let young love ruin your true lo-" Before Spy could finish his sentence, Tracer swiftly locked lips with him, taking him by surprise. After a few seconds, Tracer broke the kiss, her expression turning a bit desperate.

"Spy…love...please. I need this. I need someone to be with." Tracer brought herself closer to Spy and removed his balaclava, revealing his handsome face once again. Spy was at his limit. He felt the familiar feeling of young love creep up on him for the first time in forever. He took Tracer's hand as the two of them kissed again.

"Lena...you don't know how hard it is for me to control myself from indulging in your luscious body." Tracer looked at Spy with lust in her eyes.

"So don't. Give it to me all tonight." Tracer and Spy locked lips once again as Tracer pushed him towards his room. They went in and tumbled onto the expensive bed. Tracer felt Spy take her jacket off as he kissed her on the neck. The warm glow from the fireplace gave a romantic feeling to the room, causing Spy to get even more into it. This, however, is exactly what Tracer wanted. For Spy to get so distracted that he won't notice her steal a few of his possessions. She never trusted Spy, so when she was told that a BLU Spy killed Winston, RED Spy was her first suspect. These thoughts raced around in Tracer's head as she and Spy started the foreplay. So what if she loses her virginity to him? The information that she would gain would compensate for it.

After all, it better.

* * *

"Aleksandra! You have a visitor from Overwatch!"

"Coming mama!"

Zarya got up from her bed and slowly walked downstairs, still a bit groggy from her power nap. All she had was a pair of spats and a sports bra. She met her mother at the base of the stairs.

"Aleksandra! That is no way to dress when greeting your fellow operatives!" Zarya's mother scolded. Zarya shrugged.

"It's alright. They've seen me like this before all the time." Ignoring her mother's advice, Zarya walked towards the living room to greet the familiar face. Was it Mercy? Or did they send Soldier 76?

"Aleksandra Zaryanova?" A gruff voice boomed behind her. Zarya turned around. Heavy stood behind her, his arms crossed. He is just as tall and burly as she is, which is really saying something. Zarya examined Heavy closely. Whoever this guy is was not one of her old Overwatch friends.

"Who are you?" Just as Zarya got the words out, Heavy's expression suddenly softened. He put a hand to his mouth as a reminiscent look glimmered in his eyes.

"L-little Zaryanova...you made it…" he mumbled, causing Zarya to look at him with confusion. Heavy cleared his throat and extended a hand. "I am Heavy Weapons Guy. Heavy for short." Zarya shook his hand with vigor.

"I am-"

"Aleksandra Zaryanova. Descendant of the great Grigori Zaryanova and his daughter Sloane Zaryanova." The reminiscent look returned to Heavy's eyes. "Sloane...little Zaryanova…" He looked back at Zarya.

"How...do you know so much about my family?" Zarya asked. Heavy smiled.

"I am from the past. Along with rest of my team." Zarya gasped.

"Wait, so you are one of the crazy mercenaries from the past that the news keeps talking about?" Heavy nodded. Zarya was instantly awestruck. "Wow! If you really know my great grandfather… I have so many-"

"Questions?" Heavy interrupted. "Questions. Yes. Understandable. My father used to work with Grigori. I'm sure you have been told how he was against the communist revolution?"

"Vividly." Zarya affirmed. Heavy sat down on a nearby sofa and started his story.

* * *

After Grigori and my father were captured and put into gulag, I started to evacuate both of our families. However, I was too slow. Everyone was captured by KGB and thrown into gulag as well. Day after day, they tried to get information out of my father and Grigori, but they would not betray their comrades no matter what. KGB started to use different ways of torture on Grigori. They brought his family in one by one and tortured them to death in front of his eyes. Grigori held until they had killed every member of his family...except one. His five year old daughter Sloane. Wanting some extra leverage, KGB officers left Sloane to be the last one executed, instead bringing in my father first. I watched helplessly like cowering baby while they hung my father to death in front of Grigori and me. This is when I snapped. In following days, I planned breakout with other inmates while trying to buy Sloane as much time as possible.

Finally, the plan was complete. Inmates and I broke out and murdered any guards in our way. When we went to go free Grigori, however, we could see that he had gone insane from watching everyone he knew die. He was useless to everyone. We decided to reunite him with his family in the end. Because of this, we hunted down every guard in gulag and tortured them all for days until KGB reinforcements arrived. I escaped with my family and Sloane while inmate comrades sacrificed themselves to hold off KGB. I watched the gulag burn down, killing everyone inside. However, I've been told that our handlers have escaped the gulag during the struggle. Of course, that won't matter once I get back to my time. From then onwards, my family built a cabin in Siberian mountains and settled there. We handed Sloane over to orphanage. I heard that she was adopted almost instantly by a rich couple.

* * *

Zarya was shocked. Was this the supposed "savior" that her grandmother spoke about? The ones that she said saved her when she was young? She saw Heavy's eyes well up a bit, not that she could blame him. She handed Heavy a tissue. He took it and blew his nose loudly before throwing the tissue out. He looked up at Zarya, his eyes still glittering with tears. "When I first saw you, it was sure sign that Sloane had survived. I cannot stop thinking about how strong she had to be to survive the gulag." Heavy cleared his throat and wiped his eyes one last time. "Oh...I've been talking for a while now. I bring message from Overwatch to you." Heavy took an envelope out of his pocket and gave it to Zarya. "They want you to come back. Now." Zarya took the envelope and ripped it open, slipping the letter it contained into her hands. She skimmed through the letter, managing to get the gist of it.

"Well. Now seems like a good time to come back. Traitors everywhere, Winston dead… no better time." Zarya stated. "Besides. If I get to fight alongside my ancestor's savior, it would be a true honor." Heavy smiled.

"If I get to fight alongside Sloane's descendant, it would also be an honor." Zarya extended a hand, which Heavy gladly shook.

"It is settled then. You are coming back to Overwatch." Heavy took out a transmitter and pressed a green button on it. "Transport will be here in an hour." An awkward silence hung in the air.

"So...you are strong man, right?" Zarya asked. Heavy chuckled.

"Sure. I must be for my line of work."

"If that is the case, then I challenge you to a weightlifting contest!" Zarya bellowed confidently. "You think you can beat these monsters?" Zarya flexed her arms in an exaggerated manner, making Heavy smirk.

"You call those little baby twigs monsters?" Heavy said. He flexed his own arms back in response. "These are monsters."

"Oh really? Why don't you prove it, old man?" Zarya challenged. Heavy immediately grabbed the sofa Zarya was sitting on and hoisted it over his head. Zarya was taken back at this move, but quickly recovered. She leapt off the sofa and tightly bear hugged Heavy's thighs. She hoisted Heavy and the sofa up, surprising him.

"Ha ha! This is not over! We must go to weight room!" Heavy declared. He dropped the sofa back onto the floor while Zarya set him down. They both bolted out of the living room, exchanging competitive looks with one another.

* * *

When Scout was a small boy, his brothers would regularly take him to the Boston City Death Row. They would usually go there to steal some food; Death Row always had excellent food on standby for the inmate's last meals. They would sneak in from the old window on the side of the building and visit the inmates there. Murderers, psychopaths, scum-of-the-earth, Scout had seen them all there before. He always wondered how they felt there, so close to death. After all these years, his question has been answered. He got to experience it first hand.

Two days ago, Scout had been forcibly arrested and sentenced to death by his Overwatch and RED team colleagues. He tried as hard as he could to deny the claims, but no one would listen. He could recall everyone drowning out his testimonies with boos. He could remember everyone throwing things at him while he was on his way to his cell. He could remember hearing Tracer's despair filled shrieks when she found out about Winston's death. All Scout could do was sit in his cell and repeat one statement in his head over and over.

"I didn't freakin do it."

That was the truth as well, but no one would listen. Scout never remembered seeing a BLU Spy anywhere in the base. His fist clenched in anger as that name surfaced in his mind. BLU Spy. The only person Scout was sure that had something to do with this mess. He vividly pictured all the gory ways he would kill BLU Spy if he found him. In fact, he fell into some sort of trance as the anger burned within him.

"Hey Scout?"

Scout snapped out of his stunned stupor and looked towards the cell door. Tracer stood before it, her hand rummaging through her pocket in a rushed fashion.

"What the...Tracer?" Scout questioned. "Tracer...what are you doin'?" Tracer pulled a set of keys from her pocket and swiftly unlocked Scout's door. She stepped into the cell and unlocked Scout's handcuffs.

"I know it wasn't you, love. I'll explain when we get out. Hurry!" Although Scout had never been more confused than he is now, he was still relieved that someone knew the truth. Tracer took out her dual pulse pistols and handed one to Scout.

"Come on! No time to lose!" Just as the duo stepped out of the cell, they heard something.

"Over here…" The feminine voice came from down the hall. Scout and Tracer quickly ran to the source of the sound, a cell a few yards away from them. Within the cell, they found Widowmaker standing up to her cell's door. "Take me with you. I know of the treachery that goes on here." Tracer looked at her skeptically.

"Huh. Gimme one reason that I should trust you." She said. Widowmaker cleared her throat before responding.

"RED Spy is the culprit. He has teamed up with BLU Spy and augmented Sniper's memory to stop him from telling anyone." Tracer looked surprised for a moment. She nodded and unlocked Widowmaker's cell and handcuffs. Widowmaker joined them as they hastily ran towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. Tracer quickly blinked there and pressed the call button.

"Come on, come on…" Scout soon caught up with her, Widowmaker arriving a bit later. A ding was heard as the elevator arrived to their floor. As the doors opened, Soldier and two other prison guards walked out, soon spotting Tracer's group. The two groups stood there in shocked silence for a brief moment before Soldier yelled and threw a punch a Scout. Scout ducked under it and fired the pulse pistol at Soldier's legs, throwing him to the ground in a fit of pain. Tracer blinked up to one of the guards and knocked him out with the butt of her pistol. The last guard opened fire with his rifle, however, Widowmaker quickly launched a spinning axe kick to his face, knocking him violently to the ground. Before Soldier could recover, Scout stomped on his head, knocking him out. Widowmaker armed herself with the guard's rifle while Tracer and Scout dragged the unconscious bodies out of the elevator.

"Tracer…" Scout muttered, catching Tracer's attention. "...Thanks. Thanks for believin' me." Tracer shook her head.

"It wasn't me believing you that got me to break you out." Tracer pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to Scout. "Contingency plan A. I...took...it from RED Spy's pockets." Scout could not believe his eyes as he read the paper. Fury built up inside him as the truth slowly dawned on him.

As soon as he was done escaping this corrupt base, RED Spy and BLU Spy are both dead men.


	16. Chapter 16: The Old Times

**Chapter 16: The Ole Times**

Three robed figures walked down the cobblestone street, managing to blend with the crowd. All around them, people chattered about in old German, using dialects and words that have not been used for centuries. A trio of knights on horseback suddenly galloped into view, causing the robed figures to look up. The knights had a crest of a bottle with gunpowder barrels underneath it on their shields, catching the robed figure's eyes. The knight at the front gave a shout, causing the crowded streets to part, letting them gallop across. A few peasants started to yell at the knights from the sidelines and throw stones at them, which bounced off their shining armor. One of the knights noticed and ruthlessly aimed his crossbow at one of the protesting peasants. He fired, impaling one of them in the chest. The crowd watched as the peasant fell to the ground with a sickening thump, but all they could do is keep their heads down and angrily swear at the knights under their breath. After that, the three knights came upon the three robed figures. The knight in the front shouted at them in German, gesturing for them to move aside. No response. The knight's face flashed with anger as he pulled out his sword, ready to chop them to bits.

Before he could react, however, the robed figure in the center immediately pulled out two shotguns and turned into smoke, letting his robes fall to the ground. All the peasants immediately burst into a panic at the sight of this and ran away, leaving the three knights in shock. The ball of smoke quickly reformed into a person right in the middle of all three knights. "DIE! DIE! DIE!" A spray of shotgun blasts emerged from the hazy figure, immediately knocking the knights off their horses, putting big holes in their chests before killing the horses themselves afterwards. Once the onslaught of shotgun pellets ended, Reaper emerged from the smoke, looking dissatisfied. "God damn it! This is the fifth time I had to blow our cover to save our asses!" The robed figures lifted their hoods, revealing Medic and a rather sheepish looking Mercy.

"I'm sorry! I didn't hear vhat zhe knight vas saying! Did ve really need all zhese robes!?" Mercy sighed. "But at least I'm not as bad as you Diedrich! You just had to blow our cover a few days ago in zhe Chinese harbour!" Medic's expression suddenly turned defensive.

"Vell, excuse me for defending myself from a Chinese highvayman! It vas either to hand over my prized bonesaw or to stab him vith it! Besides! Remember vhen Reaper got us in trouble vith zhose cavemen!?"

"What!? Come on! I get a bit twitchy if I don't kill something every so often! Did you really think that sickly savage was going to have a decent future?"

"You killed him in front of Angela's eyes! I have a problem vith it because you really disturbed her! Besides, killing zhat one caveman turned zhe entire tribe of savages on us!"

"STOP!"

Reaper and Medic turned around to face Mercy, who was clearly annoyed. "Ve still have a big task at hand. BLU Spy is definitely in zhis time era! I'm sure of it!" Mercy exclaimed.

"You said that about the last 8 goddamn time eras we visited..." Reaper groaned. "But either way, we need to get out of here before they send more knights to investigate." Medic and Mercy nodded as they followed Reaper into a dark alleyway, vanishing from sight.

* * *

"Say what now!?" The lord's shout echoed throughout the hall, catching everyone's attention. The knight knelt before the lord, looking very humble.

"Tis' true, Lord Degroot! A demon from the very depths of hell has descended upon three of our knights and savagely murdered them in a swirl of black brimstone!" Lord Degroot leaned in closer.

"The peasants? Did th' devil do bloody anythin' to the peasants?" He asked impatiently.

"None were killed. Only the three knights." The moment he heard that, Lord Degroot pounded his fist on his throne's armrest in anger.

"Ye mean ta tell me that this bloody 'demon' killed members of my virtuous guard instead of doing its bloody job and pulling those sinful commoners down to hell!?" Lord Degroot stood up from his throne. "Call the church! Tell them ta go wit' my knights in this effort to hunt down this rogue demon! I'm sure that both God and Satan themselves tarry a pleasure to see a wrongful demon punished!" The knight stood up from his kneeling position and nodded before running out of the hall. Lord Degroot turned to the rest of his guard. "Fortify Degroot Keep! I know that this demon is sure to make a move on me! Send orders to kill off any suspicious commoners! The demon could have disguised itself as one of those filthy pigs!"

"YES, MY LORD!" Degroot's guard responded as they all ran into action. Once everyone had left the royal hall, Lord Degroot walked down from his throne and into a stairwell nearby. He climbed up the stairs to the master bedroom and opened the door. There, a beautiful German woman with stunning blond hair sat at the foot of his bed. She took no notice of Lord Degroot as he came in and started to speak to her in German.

"Lady Ziegler…" Lord Degroot coaxed. Lady Ziegler's eyes suddenly flared with anger.

"I told you Degroot! I will never marry you!" She shouted. She then stood up defiantly. "You are a monster and a tyrant! You imprisoned my people and kidnapped me against my will to live with you!" Lord Degroot ignored Lady Ziegler's outburst, chuckling softly instead.

"Please, milady. Call me Alastair. Besides, I have even graver matters to deal with at the moment. Matters that might put you and me in harms way." Lady Ziegler suddenly looked a bit more interested. "A demon has been sighted in the streets of Berlin. It has murdered three of my valiant and blessed knights already-"

"Well good for it!" Lady Ziegler scoffed, taking Lord Degroot by surprise. "If this "demon" has the mind to target your wretched guard, It might just be a guardian angel instead!" Lord Degroot angrily walked towards Lady Ziegler and slapped her across the face, sending her sprawling towards the hard, wooden floor.

"I want you to think carefully about what you just said, milady." Lord Degroot backed out of the bedroom and shut the doors, leaving Lady Ziegler crying on the floor. When was she to be free of this madman? When will she see her family again? When will her country be free from this tyrannical rule?

* * *

"Vhat's vith zhis crowd?" Medic asked. Medic and Mercy were in a massive crowd of German peasants, all grudgingly listening to a knight at the front speak.

"Don't ask me." Mercy responded, trying to peek over the crowd. "You're zhe taller one here!"

"Here." Medic dropped down low and scooped up Mercy onto his shoulders, turning a few heads. As Mercy clung onto Medic's head for balance, she got a clearer view of what was happening.

"Mein gott!" Mercy exclaimed. She motioned for Medic to set her back down. Once he did, he noticed the distressed look on her face. "Zhis is a public execution!" Medic's eyes widened.

"Vhat!? Zhat sounds like somezhing ve need to investigate!" Medic and Mercy pushed their way through the dense crowd, wading their way towards the front. Once they reached the front of the crowd, however, they found that a line of knights blocked their path.

"Grah! Schweinhunds!" Medic whispered urgently to Mercy as he desperately tried to peek over the knights to see the main event. "I can't see anyzhing!"

"I can!" Mercy piped up. Medic looked over and saw her peeking through the gaps in between the knights, as she was short enough to do that without looking too suspicious. She looked closely through the gap and tried to describe what she's seeing. "I see a knight and a priest standing over a peasant on a pyre, and...oh my…" Mercy backed up suddenly with a shocked expression on her face. "Zhis isn't any execution… zhis is a exorcism!"

"Vhat!?" Medic exclaimed. "Vait! Listen closely to vhat zhe crowd is saying!" Medic and Mercy both went quiet, trying to listen to the various conversations around them, all spoken in German.

"No way is Amadeus the real demon!"

"I'd say that this is no demon!"

"Yeah! If it's targeting Degroot's guard, then it must be an angel if anything!"

"Do you think that this is a sign from god? That Degroot's long reign of terror is at an end?"

"I hope so, but it looks like poor Amadeus isn't going to see it."

Medic was shocked. Degroot? Devils? He suddenly pulled on Mercy's arm and lead her through the crowd. "Ve need to go back to zhe inn and meet up vith Reaper. I have a bad feeling zhat ve have landed in a very dangerous situation."

"Really? How so?" Mercy asked. Medic looked back at her seriously.

"If ve make one wrong move, I fear zhat ve might vipe Demoman from existence…"

* * *

"So, ya're the assassin, correct?" Lord Degroot asked. A hooded person was kneeling before him.

"Yes, Lord Degroot." The assassin replied in a french accent. "I was sent by King Louis to help the Scottish occupation of Germany." Lord Degroot smirked.

"Ye were highly reccomended ta me by Louis, ya know." The assassin shook his head.

"I didn't come because King Louis told me to, but for the chance to assassinate this "devil's" colleagues." Lord Degroot looked very surprised.

"Wait...colleagues?" He got up off his throne and walked towards the assassin with a look of suspicion on his face. "Do ya know something we dunnae be?" The assassin nodded.

"I do, but I would prefer not to say." Lord Degroot approached the assassin, standing over him menacingly.

"If ye have information about this situation, ye must tell us." He leaned in close to the assassin. "If ya don't, I will be forced to beat th' information out of-" In the blink of an eye, the assassin pulled a knife out of his robes and held it to Lord Degroot's throat, his expression immediately turning from one of overconfidence to one of terror. Degroot's guard all drew their swords, but as long as the assassin had Lord Degroot at knifepoint, there was nothing they could do.

"Listen to me, you bomb-lobbing drunk. I am the infamous assassin Pierre Ronseau. I am the being that haunts the dreams of the damned. I am death's ambassador. I am the menace of France itself. You simply do not have the right to question me about my motives." Pierre released a terrified Lord Degroot from his grasp, sending him tumbling backwards onto his throne, dazed and confused. With a flutter of his robes, he turned around and started to leave. "Do not worry. I will make sure that my targets are dead." Pierre stated before leaving through the giant doors of the royal hall, slamming the giant doors shut. Once he had walked far enough down the hall, he suddenly turned invisible and ducked into an empty room. He closed the door and decloaked, removing his disguise at the same time. "Alright Mercy, Medic, Reaper." BLU Spy stood in the room with a devilish look on his face. "It's time I stopped running." He started to put his disguise back on, the blueish gray smoke enveloping him once again. "Instead…" Once the smoke dissipated, BLU Spy stepped out once again in his picture perfect Pierre Ronseau disguise. "...allow me to start chasing after you."

* * *

"So let me get this straight…" Reaper sighed. The three of them were in a cheap inn room, where Medic was trying to explain something to the rest of them. "You're saying that we are in the middle of this…"Degroot Occupation"?" Medic nodded briskly.

"Yes, mein freund! Ve are in zhe heat of zhe Scottish occupation of Germany!" Medic exclaimed.

"I have never heard of such a zhing!" Mercy objected. "Vhere are you getting zhis information, Diedrich?" Medic pushed his glasses up.

"Demoman often tells of his family's glorious past. He never stops bragging about the royal blood in him, but zhe one zhing about his past zhat he does not like to talk about is his ancestor, Alastair Degroot." Reaper suddenly interjected for a moment.

"Wait… so you're saying…"

"Yes!" Medic responded preemptively as he gestured about like a conspiracy theorist. "If I take everyzhing I have ever heard about Alastair from Demoman and link zhem togezher, everyzhing lines up perfectly vith zhe time era ve are in right now!" Medic suddenly noticed Mercy looking a bit uncomfortable. "Do you have anyzhing to say, Angela?" Before Mercy could say a word, a german maid suddenly burst into the room without warning.

"Room service!" She exclaimed before suddenly freezing in place once she caught sight of Reaper. Everyone in the room went silent before Reaper piped up.

"What did she say?" He asked with an innocent tone. The german maid burst into a panic, screaming as she ran down the hall. Reaper sighed.

"Well, that's our cue." Reaper pulled out his shotguns and blasted the window in their room open. He quickly leapt out and transformed into smoke. Instant pandemonium erupted in the streets below as Reaper floated through the crowd. Medic and Mercy saw the chaos unfold and quickly started to rush out of the inn. Suddenly, knights and priests on horseback started to gallop in from all directions, attempting to surround Reaper. The priests approached Reaper with crosses in their hands, chanting various prayers and spells. Reaper rematerialized to deal with this new threat. "The demon has reformed! Now's our chance!" One of the priests yelled. He took out a flask of "holy" water and threw it at Reaper, soaking him in it. Of course, none of this debauchery had any effect on him. Seeing the hordes of knights and priests closing in on him, he gave an evil chuckle as he cocked his dual shotguns. Dark whisps of smoke started to radiate from Reaper, making the knights feel a little unsteady. With evil in his voice, Reaper suddenly shouted:

"DIE! DIE! DIE!"

Shotgun pellets began erupting out of Reaper's guns before anyone could react, instantly shredding the unarmoured priests. The innermost ring of knights instantly fell victim to the onslaught, causing the rest of the knights to back up in fear. Suddenly, Reaper saw a knight with a crossbow taking careful aim at him a fair distance away. The knight fired, nailing Reaper in the knee with a barbed crossbow bolt. With a cry of pain, Reaper fell to the ground, halting the shotgun pellet barrage. Seeing that now was their chance, the knights all swarmed at Reaper with a loud battle cry. Reaper assessed his current situation and decided that it was time to retreat. He quickly Shadow Stepped out of the hoard, leaving black smoke where we once was. The knights gasped and stepped back in fear, looking around for Reaper, only to see that he was nowhere to be found. Panic ensued as the knights scattered in all directions, none of them wanting to be Reaper's next victim.

 **A few days ago…**

Degroot Keep looked all the more ominous during nighttime. Darkness shrouded the cold, stone walls, the only bits of light coming from the guard's torches. Lady Ziegler would usually be asleep at this time of the night, but instead she was gathering all the blankets, towels, rugs, and curtains in her lavishly decorated room. "Tonight is the night I break free…" She thought to herself. A smile formed on her face as she held to that thought. "No more shall I be Degroot's plaything. I will break out tonight and end his rule!" Of course, Lady Ziegler didn't know exactly how she was going to overthrow Lord Degroot, but she was determined that she must. She looked down at the massive pile of cloth that she had gathered. "Perfect. This will do." She muttered to herself.

Without another word, Lady Ziegler started to tie the ends of the cloths together, forming a long, makeshift rope. She dragged the coil of sheets towards a window and firmly tied one end to her bed's leg. With determination in her eyes, she threw her rope out the window, watching it fall to the ground below. She hoisted herself over the windowsill and dangled her legs over the perilous drop before her. She look a deep breath and started to slide down her makeshift rope, concentrating on not getting her hands friction-burnt by the sheets. After an agonizing five minutes, Lady Ziegler finally reached the ground, her hands raw from the careful sliding and her knees weak from the constant rappelling. However, she had no time to spare. Lady Ziegler made a mad dash towards the lavatory. Although there is only one way into Degroot Keep, through the front gate, there are two ways out: Through the front gate...or down the toilet and into the river below. The thought of this made Lady Ziegler grimace, but she knew that she had no other option. She already had a plan for when she escaped as well. She would first sell her lavish dress to the highest bidder for some money. Then, she would hide out on rooftops until the streets were relatively clear of Degroot's knights. The money should be enough for her to buy a horse drawn cart so she can find her family and escape to Paris where they can start their new life, away from Degroot's tyranny. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an overpowering stench, making Lady Ziegler gag. She was at the lavatory. Her first step to freedom. Lady Ziegler grabbed the toilet seat and violently jerked it off. She peered down the toilet, which emptied straight into the valley river below. She held her breath. "This is it." Bracing for impact, she leapt down the toilet and began her 25 foot drop into the murky waters below.

A few day later…

"Ah! Zhere you are!" Medic called out to Reaper. They were both on the rooftops of Berlin, where Medic and Mercy have been hiding out while looking for Reaper after he escaped the knights. Medic ran to Reaper and closely examined him. "Hm, you seem to be healing vell after zhat encounter." Reaper shrugged.

"I just ripped the arrow out of my knee and healed it up with some of the soul orbs from the knights I killed. Nothing too special." Reaper looked around. "I don't see Angela with you, where did she get off to?" Medic pointed behind him.

"She should be vaiting for us somevhere back zhere." Medic stated. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a familiar figure with radiant blond hair in the distance. Medic's face lit up. "Ooh, never mind! Zhere she is!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to Mercy. "Hey! Over here!" The woman turned around and saw Medic. She seemed to be startled at the sight of them, but still cautiously approached. Reaper suddenly Shadow Stepped right up to her, making her fall backwards onto the roof.

"Angela, this is no time to fool around! We need to get-" Reaper suddenly paused, his threatening expression slipping off his face. He noticed the torn up rags the woman was wearing, only barely covering her body. Her hair, although still a radiant gold, was a mess. Her toes and fingertips were pale blue from the chilly October nights.

"Angela! Vhat happened to you!?" Medic had caught up with Reaper and had noticed the woman as well. He immediately took off his jacket and knelt beside the woman to shield her from the frigid autumn winds. He held the woman close in an attempt to warm her up. Medic looked into the woman's deep, azure eyes. The woman gave Medic a weak smile before promptly fainting in his arms, leaving Medic severely distraught. Reaper put a hand on Medic's shoulder.

"We need to get her some help. Now." Medic didn't respond to Reaper's urges. He couldn't take his eyes off of the woman's pale face. He couldn't hear anything but the woman's faint breathing and her distant heartbeat. Reaper sighed and smacked Medic on the back of his head, snapping him out of his shocked trance. "Come on! Do you want Angela to get better or not?" Medic regained his senses and urgently hoisted the woman onto his back.

"Cover me from zhe rooftops in case if ve get spotted, alright?" Medic asked. Reaper gave a nod and Shadow Stepped away onto a distant roof. Medic looked back at the woman. "Don't you die on me now…" He muttered before racing away to the nearest hospital.

* * *

"Diedrich! Vhere are you!?" Mercy yelled. She desperately scanned the surrounding rooftops for any sign of Medic or Reaper. An hour has passed since Medic had left her alone to find Reaper, making Mercy rather worried by now. "Maybe he tried to look for Reaper in the streets?" Mercy pondered. A worrying thought flickered into Mercy's mind. "Maybe...if he did go down to the streets, maybe he was caught by the guards!" Mercy jumped into a panic as she realized this scenario. She ran over to the side of the roof and looked down towards the streets below, desperately looking for Medic.

"Surprise." Before Mercy could even react, she was struck on the back of her head, knocking her out. Pierre Ronseau stood behind her with a cheeky smirk on his face. He latched his baton back onto his belt and beckoned to someone in the distance. "Captain Reinhardt! Come here at once!" A large, burly knight in shining armour turned around and briskly walked towards Pierre, heaving his giant war hammer over his shoulder. Pierre groaned in exasperation at the sight of Captain Reinhardt's hammer. "For heaven's sake Reinhardt. Thank god I got to Lady Ziegler before you did. You would have taken her head off with that thing." Captain Reinhardt shrugged.

"I'm not ready to leave my prized Rouquette Hammer out of any conflict I'm assigned to. It is my symbol for being the head of Degroot's esteemed guard!" Captain Reinhardt posed extravagantly with his hammer. "This city is full of rebellious scum, after all. Who knows what dangerous folk we could run into during this hunt for Lady Ziegler?" Pierre sighed.

"Of all the people Degroot could have assigned to me, why did he pick you?" Pierre muttered under his breath. He cleared his throat. "Whatever. The important thing is that we have found Lady Ziegler. I suggest you take her back to Degroot Keep at once." Captain Reinhardt nodded before hoisting Mercy onto his back. He suddenly paused and looked back at Pierre.

"Wait...why am I bringing Lady Ziegler back alone?" He asked. Pierre looked off into the distance.

"I still have to deal with the devil problem. I have two more targets left to eliminate." Captain Reinhardt gave Pierre a confused look.

"Two? I thought you told me that the devil had two other apprentices! Wouldn't that make it three targets?" Reinhardt asked. Pierre looked back at Captain Reinhardt mysteriously.

"One of the targets have been...dealt with recently." He said without taking his eyes off Mercy on Captain Reinhardt's back. "Very recently."

* * *

"Please sir! She is very weakened and needs medical attention immediately!" Medic pleaded urgently to the hospital receptionist. He gave a cold stare back at Medic.

"As I said, no money, no service. There are commoners dying every day. This won't make any difference." Medic suddenly burst into a rage and unsheathed his bonesaw from within his jacket. He pointed it at the receptionist with murderous intent. The receptionist pulled a pocket knife from his belt and aimed back at Medic. Before either of them could make a move, an onlooking priest quickly rushed in between them, holding his hands out.

"Peace gentlemen! Peace! Do not shed blood while there is a dying woman lying by your feet!" The priest turned to the receptionist and tossed a satchel of gold onto the desk. "I will pay for this woman's treatment. Please save her life." The receptionist's eyes lit up at the sight of the gold. He immediately stood up and walked from his desk.

"Follow me! We must get this woman to a bed now!" Medic rolled his eyes at the receptionist's sudden change in attitude. The two of them quickly went into the infirmary, letting Medic get an eyeful of it. Every patient in the area was carelessly placed inside this room full of beds, letting various diseases and maladies mingle together. Priests wandered from patient to patient performing useless (and even harmful) healing procedures like bloodletting via leech and even trepanning. "Here! Place the woman on this bed!" The bed that the receptionist pointed to was surrounded with people suffering from smallpox. Although Medic was immune to this primitive disease thanks to vaccinations, he wasn't going to even risk placing "Mercy" there. He spotted a bed located in the isolated corner. "Actually, how about we put her there?" Medic pointed to the bed in the corner.

"Are you insane?" The receptionist asked. "If you put her there, the priests would never get to her in time!" Medic chuckled nervously.

"Erm...it's alright! I will take care of her until the priests can...uh...treat her." The receptionist shrugged.

"Alright then. It's her life you're throwing away." Medic rushed to the bed in the corner and placed the woman as far away as possible from the other patients. He immediately took a vial of a red, glowing fluid out and poured some into the woman's mouth. He then poured the rest of it into a spray bottle and sprayed a fine, red mist over the woman's surroundings.

"There. My medigun fluid should revive Angela and keep those diseases at bay." He thought. "It's a shame I left my Medigun in the Slipstream 2.0." Medic tucked the woman in and hugged her tightly to get her body temperature up.

"Do you need anything?" Medic heard a voice ask behind him. He turned around and saw the receptionist standing behind him, an embarrassed look lingering on his face. Medic smiled and shook his head.

"No need. She's ok for now." The two of them exchanged awkward glances. There was no denying that the receptionist's sudden change in attitude was bothering both of them.

"Alright, I was slightly more interested in offering you and this woman a room after I saw the gold. That part is true…" The receptionist admitted. Medic sighed. Mankind's greed really knew no bounds. "...but after I saw you hold her in your arms with such tender care..." Medic refocused onto the receptionist. "...something happened...like a moment of realization. It felt like something awoke inside me." The receptionist reached into his pocket and took out the satchel of gold coins. He took a quarter of the coins out and tossed them to Medic. "Here. I hope this can help you two get by." Medic looked at the gold coins in his palm in wonder. This was more than enough.

"M-my god… Thank you! This will work nicely!" The receptionist responded with a flustered smile. He wasn't used to getting compliments. "In that case, I apologize for pulling a bonesaw out on you, Mister…?" Medic waited for the receptionist to respond with his name.

"Ludwig. Helmut Ludwig." The moment Medic heard this name, it took everything in him to not to completely freak out. "Hmm? Is something the matter?" Helmut asked.

"N-no! Eheheh! There is nothing wrong! I...I just had a bit of a...uh...cough! Yes! I'm not used to being in such a filthy place! Yes!" Helmut raised an eyebrow to Medic's little spaz out.

"Well, I must agree that this place is indeed filthy. If only these priests could see that their treatment methods are completely useless! I believe that putting animal parts into humans are the true solution to any malady!" Medic gasped. This was indeed who he thought it was. He must get him out of here.

"Yes, yes, animal parts, yes. Well, that was a nice little chat! If you'll excuse me, I must tend to this woman now!" Helmut nodded at Medic's request.

"Alright. Good luck with her, Mister…?"

"Diedrich Wolfe! That is my name!" Medic said rather pressingly. Helmut was a bit taken back at Medic's sudden burst of urgency, but he still left quietly nonetheless. Medic sighed in relief. Who knew what sort of adverse effects on Medic's future that little encounter has had? He sat back down and looked at the woman's face, only to see her looking right back at him!

"You saved me…" The woman whispered. Without another word, Medic leaned in close and kissed the woman on the lips, taking her by surprise. She eventually melted into the kiss as well, holding Medic's head as he held her's. Medic broke the kiss and looked into her deep, blue eyes.

"Angela...you made it!" The woman suddenly looked very confused.

"Who's...Angela? My name is Sofia Ziegler." A look of regretful realization slowly spread across Medic's face the moment those words came out of Sofia's mouth. "What's your name, my handsome hero?" Sofia leaned in close to Medic's face with a lustful expression. "All my life I've never known true love. That fiend Degroot never let me meet anyone but him...but you?" Medic could see where this was going. He backed off gently.

"My apologies. You looked a lot like my fiancée." Medic said calmly. Sofia got up out of the bed and did a sultry walk towards Medic. The rags she wore fit tightly to her body, making her look even more like Mercy. She approached Medic and buried her face in his shoulder. She pressed her breasts up against Medic's torso and looked up at him with big puppy eyes.

"You wouldn't break my heart, would you?" She tickled Medic's chin with her finger, making him blush harder. "I'm sure that I can offer much more than what your… current fiancée could." Medic took a deep breath and gently pried Sofia off of him.

"I-I'm sorry! I mustn't become attached to you! Time itself won't allow it!" Sofia's expression saddened at Medic's sharp words.

"W-why?" She sobbed gently. Before Medic could make a move, the wall behind him immediately burst open, sending him and Sofia sprawling to the floor. Medic looked up. Through the clouds of dust, he saw Reaper barely holding off the onslaught of knights with his shotguns. He had suffered multiple lacerations across his body already. He suddenly charged forward with a loud battle cry and unleashed a Death Blossom into the knight's ranks, making a large dent in their forces. Reaper dashed back into the hospital and grabbed Medic and (a very shocked) Sofia.

"Medic, the real Mercy's in trouble." Reaper croaked. Medic looked at Reaper, confused.

"Vhat!? How did you know zhat zhis isn't zhe real Angela!?" He asked in surprise. Reaper put his hand up, stopping Medic from speaking. "How do you think I got all these guards on my tail. Anyways, I'll take you to her. Just saying, this might tingle a bit." Reaper started to envelope the two of them in a cloud of dark smoke. Medic slowly felt his entire body go numb as he was assimilated into the cloud, with a very surprised Sofia Ziegler looking on. With an extreme gust of wind, the smoke cloud poured out of the hospital and disappeared into the rooftops of Berlin, leaving the knights and Sofia completely dumbfounded.

* * *

"Wakey wakey, Milady…" Mercy slowly started to regained consciousness. She grunted as she noticed the dull pain emanating from the back of her head. She opened her eyes and saw her lavish surroundings. She was on a bed in a marble walled room with exotic Acacia wood flooring. Vivid engravings within the marble lined the room. Rich furniture with plush velvet lining was placed meticulously around the room, faintly illuminated by the golden fireplace nearby. Moonlight seeped through a single, barred window. "Are you enjoying your new window?" Mercy turned and saw Lord Degroot sitting casually on a nearby chair, a goblet of wine in his hand. "Do you like your new room?" He took a small sip from the goblet. "I had my men redecorate it since your little...breakout." Lord Degroot placed his goblet onto a table and walked over to Mercy. Mercy tried to move, but found that she was chained to the bed. She noticed that she was stripped down to her underwear. Panic started to boil inside of her."W-what do you think you're doing!? Who are you!?" Lord Degroot chuckled and shook his head softly.

"Did that blow to the back of your head make you lose some memories, Sofia?" Lord Degroot climbed onto the bed and laid by Mercy's side. "I am your one and only true love, Alistair Degroot." Lord Degroot sat up and took off his kingly robes while looking at Mercy's body with lust. "I am a man of honor Sofia. I had not wanted for it to come to this." Lord Degroot threw his robes aside and undid his trousers. "I had refrained from abusing you too hard, but now I see that you think you have the audacity to try and escape from me!" Mercy squirmed around in terror, trying to throw Lord Degroot off the bed. He smirked and forcefully grabbed Mercy's breast. "Now I must do what I should have done a long time ago! Make you submit to me... completely..." Mercy started to yell out in fear, her shrill protests not affecting Lord Degroot in the slightest.

"Diedrich! Reaper! Vherever you are! HELP!" Lord Degroot stopped and backed away from Mercy.

"W-what? Where'd ye learn ta speak English?" Lord Degroot asked suddenly.

"Aaangellaaaa!" A faint voice echoed from outside. Lord Degroot turned and looked out the barred windows. He saw a dark cloud rocketing through the night sky towards him. He barely had time to back away before the cloud violently gusted into the room, knocking him off his feet. The cloud immediately dissipated, sending Reaper and Medic tumbling to the hard, wooden floor. Reaper lay on the floor, panting with exhaustion. Medic held his head and stood up, fighting the dizziness. The moment he saw Lord Degroot standing over Mercy with his pants off, Medic flew into a rage and unsheathed his bonesaw, pointing it menacingly at Lord Degroot.

"D-Diedrich! You came!" Mercy exclaimed with relief. Medic briskly walked to her side and slashed the rope holding her in one clean slice. Mercy got off the bed and stood by Medic's side. Medic looked over his shoulder at Reaper, who was still on the ground.

"I'm going to have to...sit this one out…" Reaper panted. "Th-that took way too much energy." Reaper took deep breaths as wisps of black smoke continued to seep back into his body. Medic nodded and refocused on Lord Degroot, who was extremely confused at all this. He quickly recovered and pointed at Medic and Mercy.

"Now I dunnae be knowin' who ye strange english-speakin' krauts are or who this 'devil' really is, but no one interrupts me like that!" Lord Degroot exclaimed. "Ye don't know who yer bloody messin' with 'ere!" Lord Degroot's eyes started to glow a ghastly green, a sight Medic was familiar with. A twisted smile formed on Lord Degroot's face. "They don't call me the 'The Ghoul o' Scotland' fer nothin'!" Lord Degroot started to cackle as he extended a hand. Almost immediately, a long two-handed Claymore sword burst through the door, narrowly missing Medic and Mercy, and landed in Lord Degroot's open palm. The sword started to glow green as Lord Degroot tightened his grip on it. He cackled once more. "When I'm through with you two, yer souls are going ta be in a special place in me sword's hilt!" Medic had seen this before. That sword is what will be Demoman's Eyelander, once again reminding Medic that this was Demoman's ancestor. If he dies, Demoman would have never existed, and if Demoman never existed, his family's brewery, which was one of RED Team's most vital sponsors, would also have never existed, making Redmond Mann have much less money to pay the Mercenaries with, thus making them lose their jobs. Medic wasn't going to kill him. No.

He was going to cripple him instead.

And he knew just how as well.

Medic lunged at Lord Degroot, slashing at his face with his bonesaw. Lord Degroot expertly dodged it, spun around, and clashed Eyelander against Medic's bonesaw. Medic ducked under Lord Degroot's arms and leapt backwards. Mercy broke the legs off of a nearby table and threw them at Lord Degroot, distracting him for a moment. Medic took advantage of this and slashed at Lord Degroot's legs, causing him to collapse to the ground. Medic leapt on top of Lord Degroot and swung his bonesaw at him, making him block with Eyelander. Just when it looked like Medic was going to win, Lord Degroot started chanting.

"O cumhachdach deamhain à ifrinn…" Lord Degroot's eyes suddenly pulsated with energy. He instantly pushed Medic off him, sending him tumbling to the ground. "...thoir dhomh an neart a dh'fheumas mi!" Eyelander's eerie green glow strengthened, causing Medic and Mercy to shield their eyes. Lord Degroot looked at them with a wicked smile on his face.

"Angela!" Medic yelled. Mercy turned to him, squinting from the bright light. "Now is zhe time! I'm going to use zhe canteens! Get ready!" Mercy nodded and dashed towards Medic. He pulled a Über canteen from his jacket, took the syringe hanging from the side of it, and quickly injected Mercy with it. Immediately afterwards, Medic hit a switch on the back of the Über canteen, switching it to a Crit canteen power-up. He pressed a button on the side of it and infused Mercy with a Critical boost. Medic handed her his bonesaw and shouted. "GO! RAUS RAUS!" The red Übercharge texture enveloped Mercy as the bonesaw started to crackle with energy. With a loud battle cry, Mercy leapt at Lord Degroot and swung the crit bonesaw at his hip, knocking him to the ground. Strangely, he was not bleeding after he got cut like that. Medic and Mercy noticed the ghostly green energy seeping into his wound, stopping the bleeding. Mercy followed up with a jab to Lord Degroot's legs, violently knocking him backwards. She leapt on top of him and knocked Eyelander out of his hands, removing the spectral energy. The moment the energy left Lord Degroot, the wound on his hip started to bleed again. Mercy grabbed a table leg lying nearby and rose it above Lord Degroot's head, ready to knock him out. Before she could swing her weapon, however, the canteen effects abruptly wore off. Lord Degroot smiled evily and punched Mercy in the face, sending her tumbling backwards. Medic saw this and burst into a rage. He picked up his bonesaw and wildly charged at Lord Degroot, who easily dodged him and shoulder rammed Medic into a wall. As Medic struggled to break free, Lord Degroot picked up a splintery broken table leg and pressed it to Medic's throat, causing small drops of blood to leak out. "Ye 'ave committed a foul crime, ya kraut…" Lord Degroot said menacingly. He took the blunt end of the table leg and smacked Medic across the face with it. "...assaultin' ta lord of Germany, now tis a crime worthy of death!" Lord Degroot raised the splintery table leg and pointed the sharp end at Medic. "Goodbye, ye bloody conjurer…" Medic saw the spiked end of the table leg racing towards him and suddenly slashed at Lord Degroot with his bonesaw. The bonesaw tore across Lord Degroot's eyes, causing him to yell out in pain and stumble backwards, not before stabbing Medic in the shoulder with the table leg. Lord Degroot fumbled around, trying to push through the overwhelming pain in his eyes. He collapsed onto the floor due to his newfound blindness. His screams of pain echoed through the castle, alerting nearby guards. Medic grunted in pain as blood poured out of his shoulder. He grabbed the table leg and gave it an excruciating tug. He managed to pull it out without screaming too much. As his natural regeneration started to slowly seal his wound, he looked over at Mercy and Reaper. Reaper had completely passed out from exhaustion from turning the two of them into smoke and flying them over here. That must be why he didn't do that more often. Mercy was knocked out from Lord Degroot's punch earlier. None of this mattered anymore, as guards were making their way up to their location. They'd all be dead in minutes. Medic looked down at his shoulder wound. His regeneration wasn't working fast enough to heal the wound before the guards arrive. He collapsed onto the floor and crawled to Mercy's side, ignoring Lord Degroot's pain-stricken fit. Medic lay down at Mercy's side and looked at her pale, soft face.

"Vell...zhis is quite zhe situation ve have gotten ourselves into…" He whispered into Mercy's ear. "In a few moments, ve vill all be dead."

"Yes." Medic looked up, his vision blurred from blood loss. "In a few moments, you three will all be dead." Medic could barely make out the figure standing over him. He watched as the person started to pace around the room. "...Do you know why I had been running from you through eight different time eras?" Medic gasped. He knew who this person was now. "I could have easily just have kept hiding in the "Ziegler's Sweets" era. Why did I even bother to time travel?" The sound of Degroot's guards stomping down the hall came within earshot of Medic. The person noticed this as well and knelt down over Medic, looking him dead in the eyes. "That is something you will have to find out on your own." The person took out a revolver and aimed it at Medic's head.

"Cheers love."

Before BLU Spy could pull the trigger, Tracer suddenly appeared beside him and grabbed him firmly by the arm. She grabbed Reaper with her other arm and disappeared in a flash of blue light. Medic was left stunned by what just happened. How did Tracer get here? Suddenly, Tracer returned and grabbed Medic and Mercy. She left again just as Degroot's guards burst into the room.

Historical records of what happened after that day vary greatly. Some say that Lord Degroot was forcefully sent back to Scotland due to his blindness and treated like a freak. He became a heavy drinker, eventually regaining his honor by establishing a famous brewery. Some say that his blindness helped him recognize the horrible things he had done in the past. This made him willingly give up the title of lord and made him go back to Scotland, where he started to experiment with a brand new invention, gunpowder. Demoman himself believes that the truth is a mix of the two, but still thinks that his ancestor was a dishonorable ruler. The Scottish occupation was eventually weathered down by constant riots and revolts from the German people, forcing the rest of the Scots home as well, leaving them with grand stories to tell their children during the long winter nights.

* * *

ZAP!

Tracer, BLU Spy, Medic, Mercy, and Reaper suddenly appeared in the middle of a wrecked city block. It was nighttime, the moon, barely illuminating the streets. Tracer blinked into a nearby building and returned with Medic's Medigun and Mercy's Caduceus Staff and Valkyrie suit. Without a word, she healed Medic's shoulder wound and revived Mercy and Reaper with the Medigun. "Now I know that you are all very confused right now, but I'll explain later." She tossed the Medigun at Medic's side and handed Mercy her suit and staff. "I know that we have an enemy standing right by our side, but we need to form a temporary truce." Tracer was met with shocked expressions. "How many of you would believe me if I told you that a threat bigger than Talon or the Deadlock Gang is looming right over our heads right now?" Suddenly, a rocket raced pass Tracer, almost taking her out. Everyone looked down the street and saw Soldier aiming his rocket launcher at them. They all dove for cover as Soldier fired another rocket. Sombra appeared beside him and fired a shower of SMG bullets at the group. BLU Spy looked on in shock. What was happening? None of this was planned by RED Spy or him!

"Comin' through fellas!" Scout shouted as he ran up from behind the group. He tossed a baseball up into the air and hit it with his bat, sending it flying at Sombra's head. The baseball knocked her out cold. Soldier fired a barrage of rockets at Scout, who took a quick sip of Bonk to avoid the damage. A poison mine was tossed out of a nearby building and landed right at Soldier's feet. It exploded into a cloud of choking venom, making Soldier back away in a coughing fit.

"Nice shot Widowmaker!" Tracer yelled. A grappling hook was fired from a window of the building, latching itself next to Tracer. Widowmaker zipped out from the building and landed gracefully.

"Now is the time to move! Go!" Widowmaker urged. The group all ran away from Soldier, diving into a nearby subway station. By the time the cloud of poison cleared, Soldier had lost sight of them. Without emotion, he lightly kicked Sombra's side, snapping her awake. She got back up and looked at Soldier coldly. The two of them started to wordlessly walk down the desolate street in search of their targets.


	17. Chapter 17: Spy's Endgame

**Chapter 17: Spy's Endgame**

"This way." Tracer directed. Her voice echoed down the dark subway tunnels, along with the footsteps of her company of commandos: Medic, Mercy, Reaper, Scout, and Widowmaker. Scout had a pistol aimed at BLU Spy, who trailed along with them, looking frightened.

"Care to explain what is going on here, Tracer?" BLU Spy asked, a bit of panic in his voice. "I-I assure you all. Whatever the situation is, you will all have my full cooperation." Everyone stopped and glared at BLU Spy menacingly. He looked around at everyone in the group in desperation. "Please! You all must trust me when I say that RED Spy and I have nothing to do with this calamity! If it had something to do with us, why would Soldier and Sombra attack me as well?" BLU Spy looked around again, seeing nothing but cold stares. He turned to Tracer, with more desperation in his voice then ever. "Lena! Why would you bring me back if I was the true culprit? Lena please! Just tell them tha-"

"Shut up!" Tracer snapped. BLU Spy froze mid-sentence. She walked up to BLU Spy and looked him dead in the eyes. "I didn't bring your backstabbing ass back out of kindness. If I left you back there, your rat-stink ass would have just escaped into another timeline!" BLU Spy stared into Tracer's eyes with fear. He sighed.

"Fine. I know that none of you care much for my life, whether I live or die, but please!" BLU Spy dropped onto his knees and started to beg. "I will help you all out of this mess the best I can! I swear!" BLU Spy's pleads echoed down the tunnel, making the pursuing silence all the more deafening. Scout interrupted the silence with a chuckle.

"Huh. So y'can dish it out but sure as hell can't take it!" Scout jeered. He pressed his pistol barrel into the back of BLU Spy's neck, making him whimper. "If it wasn't fer Tracer's lil' truce she made back dere, I'd fill yer frickin' spine with lead!" Tracer cleared her throat, snapping Scout out of his anger-filled rant.

"Listen, Scout. I know we made a promise earlier to kill the two Spies, but that has to wait. Everyone here is facing a common enemy now." Tracer leered down at Spy. "I know everyone here absolutely hates this dirty tosser, but I...trust him when he says that he has nothing to do with this." BLU Spy sighed in relief. Hearing that seemed to make him regain some of his composure. He batted Scout's pistol away from his neck and cleared his throat.

"Well, now that that has been settled, I think it's time we come up with a solution to this mess affecting us all." BLU Spy looked back at Scout with a smirk. Scout looked back at him with an angry stare, but did nothing else. BLU Spy walked up to Tracer's side. "Please, lead the way Lena." Tracer rolled her eyes at BLU Spy's sudden change in mood. She sighed and continued down the hall in silence, everyone lost in their own thoughts. No one said a word for a few minutes until Reaper finally broke the silence.

"Tracer, I have something to tell you." He said. Tracer turned around.

"Yeah? What is it Gabriel?" Reaper sighed.

"First, don't call me Gabriel. Second, do you remember that night you and Chavern Ronseau went out to Las Vegas?" Tracer nodded.

"Yeah, but Ronseau isn't his real na-"

"It is. He lied to you." Reaper interjected, shutting Tracer up. "The trap was set by a group who defected from Talon. They were trying to kill Chavern before he would launch his plot. I should know. I lead the group." Everyone fell silent at the sound of Reaper's statement. "I went around Talon convincing others to join the defectors. I even ended up tracking Sombra down and was on the way back to the defector HQ, but we were interrupted-"

"By Demoman and Junkrat!" Mercy chimed in. "So, you're saying zhat Demoman and Junkrat didn't interrupt some some secret Talon operation, but instead interfered with Talon's defectors?" Reaper nodded.

"I had been keeping my involvement with the defectors a secret from Talon, all while still doing their dirty work, so I was still in their good books. After Demoman and Junkrat ambushed us, we managed to get medical treatment from Talon, but they took Sombra back into the ranks of Talon's special ops." Reaper sighed. "Now she's gotten involved in this whole mess. All because us defectors were too slow…" Reaper's voice slowly faded away. Suddenly, Reaper perked back up. "Unless…" Without another word, he turned into smoke and started floating away, catching the group by surprise.

"Reaper! Wait! Where are you going!?" Tracer yelled. She blinked towards Reaper and got ahead of him.

"Out of my way Tracer! I need to do this." Reaper phased through Tracer and continued down the tunnel. "We will not fail again…" With those words, he vanished into the darkness. Tracer prepared to blink again, but was stopped by BLU Spy, who put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure Reaper has something very important to do, Lena." Tracer angrily brushed BLU Spy's hand off her shoulder.

"Don't get all chummy with me, you snake. Winston's dead because of you." BLU Spy rubbed his hand and sighed.

"I understand." He muttered. Tracer refocused to the task at hand and blinked back to the front of the group.

"Just a few more minutes of walking, gang!" The group nodded and continued to follow Tracer down the dark tunnels.

* * *

"Where is it!?" RED Spy dug through his wardrobe madly, his eyes darting back and forth. He slammed the wardrobe door shut and ran across the dimly lit room to his sofa, a look of intense desperation on his face. The cigarette in his mouth was almost burnt out. He tossed the velvet couch cushions aside and continued to search. Suddenly, a small red box caught RED Spy's eye. His arm darted to the box and opened it, taking out a cigarette. He clumsily took out a lighter from his suit and fumbled around with it until he lit it up. He ignited the cigarette and put it in his mouth, sweat droplets dripping down the side of his face. He put the cigarette in his mouth and inhaled, his face immediately relaxing, RED Spy sat back down on the cushionless sofa and leaned back, a look of contentment on his face. "Ahh…" He sighed, smoke billowing out of his mouth and nose.

*knock knock

RED Spy glanced over at the large, wooden double doors. "Come in." He ordered. The doors creaked open, letting Soldier and Sombra in. RED Spy perked up at the sight of them. "Well, did you catch them?" Soldier and Sombra shook their heads silently in unison. RED Spy's face immediately turned red. He dropped his lighter, briskly walked up to Soldier and Sombra, and slapped them both violently across the face. "You imbeciles! Letting Tracer escape like that!" RED Spy shouted. Soldier and Sombra just kept looking straight ahead, as if RED Spy's slap didn't register. He sighed. "Lock down the city. Cover every subway entrance, but do not go down into the tunnels. The rebels have it heavily fortified and booby trapped. Also, should you see any rebels, you are to capture them, not kill them." Soldier and Sombra wordlessly turned around and walked out of the room, closing the heavy doors behind them. RED Spy glared at where Sombra and Soldier just stood. This siege will buy him some time. He needs all the time he can get.

Master wasn't quite ready yet.

* * *

"Welcome to the Resistance HQ, gang." Tracer introduced. Medic and Mercy looked at what was before them. Tracer had lead them to a subway station refurbished as a makeshift headquarters. Engineer and Reinhardt sat in front of a computer screen, discussing something. Demoman, Roadhog, and Pharah sat idly by, fidgeting with their weapons. Engineer was the first to notice Tracer and the group.

"Hey fellas! Tracer's back!" Everyone in the HQ immediately dropped what they were doing and ran to Tracer's side. Everyone had something to say to her.

"Tracer! We have made much progress on our Superweapon while you were gone!" Pharah reported excitingly.

"Yes! Also, I single-handedly held off two vaves of attackers vhile on a scavenging trek on the surface!" Reinhardt boasted loudly. Demoman snickered a bit.

"Ach! Single-handedly? Matey, I had to save yer bloody arse a dozen times over!" Demoman corrected.

"Hmph, while you two were holding off those creampuffs, I've been clearing out entire streets." Roadhog stated proudly.

"Fellahs! Settle down now!" Engineer shouted. Everyone quickly fell silent. "I'm sure Tracer is very proud of each and every one of you, but we need to see the bigger picture here. My Australium-powered Chronal Jumper worked like a charm!" Engineer chuckled and pointed to Tracer's chronal accelerator, which now shone yellow instead of blue. "Of course, I used up the last of my Australium store to make that time jump happen, but we did it! We rescued Medic, Mercy, and Reaper from the past and-" Engineer's voice suddenly trailed off as his eyes fell onto BLU Spy, who gave a sheepish wave.

"Hello, everyone." He said meekly. Almost instantly, everyone not in Tracer's group menacingly walked towards BLU Spy like a pack of wolves, making him step back in terror. "No! Tracer! Tell them I'm with you!" Tracer sighed.

"Relax, gang. He's with us for now." Everyone looked at her, anger still burning in their eyes.

"I'll relax vhen zhis traitor's head is smashed in!" Reinhardt yelled furiously. Tracer looked into everyone's eyes, all burning with anger. Everyone hated this bastard, including her. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. It's a bit of a wild card, but if it worked, she could calm everyone down and still have BLU Spy by her side.

"You're right. Kill him." Tracer muttered. BLU Spy's eyes widened with fear.

"What!? No! Tracer! What happened to th-" Before BLU Spy could finish his sentence, he was hit by Reinhardt's hammer, sending him flying sideways into a wall. The blow left BLU Spy lying on the floor dazed as he coughed up a bit of blood. Engineer, Pharah, Roadhog, Reinhardt, and Demoman all leapt to BLU Spy's side and started to beat him relentlessly with their melee weapons. BLU Spy's screams of pain were muffled by the barrage of blows that came at him from every side. After a few minutes of furious pummeling, BLU Spy's assailants finally backed off, panting with exhaustion. Their hands and melee weapons were covered with blood. BLU Spy's mangled corpse lay in the center of the group, his joints and limbs all bent in awkward positions. A growing puddle of blood started to form under BLU Spy, making his assailants back away. No one said a word. Only the sound of exhausted breathing filled the makeshift room.

"Well, that's that, I guess…" Tracer muttered, breaking the silence. "Alright gang, I want this mess cleaned up in five, ok?" Everybody nodded and got busy finding some mops and a body bag. Tracer turned to Medic and Mercy. "You two are coming with me. I'll explain everything that has happened since you guys left." Medic and Mercy nodded and trailed after Tracer silently, images of the gory discourse they just observed still flashing in their heads. She lead them into the depths of the subway station. Many of the rooms had been repurposed as everything from armories to food stores to medical bays. Tracer led them through the maze of halls and into her room. She ushered them in and closed the door behind her. "Please, have a seat." Tracer gestured towards a pair of stools. Medic and Mercy sat down and observed Tracer's room. It was just as dilapidated and makeshift as the rest of the base. Cracked tiles and leaking pipes were spread all along the walls and ceiling. The fluorescent lights flickered like dying fireflies. Tracer's bed was nothing more than a musty mattress covered by a thin blanket on a rusty steel frame. Tracer sat down on the side of her bed, facing Medic and Mercy. "So...I guess I'll start from the beginning." Tracer said quietly. She cleared her throat.

* * *

After you two left, lots of crap happened. For starters, Scout was framed for Winston's death. BLU Spy was the true culprit, but everyone was too blinded by rage to see. I used some...devious...methods to steal RED Spy's little backup plan. He ended up augmenting Sniper's memories somehow. This, coupled with a fake recording RED Spy and BLU Spy made, is what ended up framing Scout.

Second, Jack...I mean, Soldier 76 stepped down from his position as Overwatch's vice-director. With both him and Winston gone, RED Spy declared himself as Strike-Commander while giving the role of Director to Engineer. He organized a strike team to apprehend us, consisting of the crew you see here. They got close, but we managed to avoid them for long enough. After a while, Engineer slowly uncovered RED Spy's plot with his new resources and was on the verge of bringing him to justice...until things got really weird. Just when he started to question RED Spy, the bugger...activated some device. Engineer said that everything was a blur after that, but he remembered seeing a giant circle opening up below the HQ. He only barely managed to escape thanks to an emergency teleporter he hid there.

Meanwhile, the strike team had finally captured all three of us and were about to take us back to the HQ, but we got intercepted by Talon and Overwatch troops. Just then, we received a distress call from Engineer. He told the strike team to forget about capturing us and to for us to all come to Dallas, Texas. Luckily, we managed to take down enough soldiers to make our escape.

Our two week long journey to Dallas had been interrupted by several ambushes, but one day, we were attacked by a squadron of Overwatch operatives. Their minds were wiped blank. Not a single trace of their personalities or memories remained. They were just mindless killing machines. Faced with no other choice, we had to start shooting to kill. However, the operatives that we killed always seemed to 'come back'. We kill them once, they come back during the next attack. Once, we even kept one of the operative's bodies, only for it to disappear the moment we looked away.

Long story short, we arrived in Dallas and found Engineer in this exact subway tunnel. He told us what happened and decided to start a Resistance movement to help clear up this mess. We decided to make this place the Resistance HQ for now.

* * *

Tracer took a deep breath after she finished. Medic and Mercy sat in their seats with intense looks on their faces. A deafening silence emanated throughout Tracer's room. Medic sighed. "So...zhe green scourge returns…" He shook his head. "Vhat are zhe vorld's governments doing in response to zhis incursion?" Tracer shrugged.

"Strangely, the world hasn't responded at all to this situation yet. Not even Canada or Mexico, two very nearby neighbours of America, are noticing this mess." Mercy raised an eyebrow.

"Vhat? Zhis is zhe single largest breach in national security ever! Ignorance should be zhe last zhing zhe vorld should practice now!" Mercy exclaimed. She stood up from her stool with anger, only to be held back by Medic.

"Calm down, Angela. No reason to get all vorked up." Medic sat Mercy back down, holding her hand in an attempt to calm her. Tracer nodded.

"I see...if that's the case, then I guess it's a real mystery then." Tracer stood up and walked to her room's door and motioned for Medic and Mercy to get up. "Alright you two. Now that you know the jist of things, I'm going to need your help on something." Calmly, Tracer reached into her pocket and pulled out a bloody disembodied finger, the sight of which making Mercy shudder a bit. "This is BLU Spy's finger. One thing you two both know how to do is to reanimate the dead, Medic with your Reanimators and Mercy with your 'heroes never die' thing." Medic took the finger from Tracer and held it up to his face. He looked at it intently.

"It's still relatively fresh… I zhink ve can make zhis vork…" Mercy looked at the finger as well.

"Tracer, vhat you are asking us to do is borderline cloning. One zhing zhat vill take is time." She mused. "Ve must get started immediately." She swiftly grabbed Medic's arm and pulled him with her, snapping him out of his curious finger examination. The two of them briskly walked out of Tracer's room and down the hall. Tracer smiled. It was good to have more intellectuals join the resistance. Before long, Mercy popped her head back into the room. "Err...mind telling us vhere zhe lab is?" She asked sheepishly. Tracer sighed.

"Down the hall, take the stairs on your left, and turn right." Without another word, she nodded and ran off again, leaving Tracer alone in her room. After a few moments of silence, a radio on Tracer's hip started to sound. She unhitched it from her belt and held it up to her ear.

"Tracer?" Engineer's voice came through the speakers. "Tracer! I'm gonna need you down in the command room! Now!" Tracer's eyes widened in surprise. This had to be urgent if Engineer couldn't deal with this himself.

"On my way, Dell!" Tracer responded. She immediately blinked out of her room. Within seconds, she blinked right to Engineer's side in the command room. "Right, what's the situation?" Tracer looked at the giant screen set before her and Engineer, along with a large dashboard with many different lights and buttons on them. Engineer stood up a bit and pointed to several small red dots on the screen.

"Demo and Roadhog's in trouble!" Engineer exclaimed. Tracer perked up.

"What!? Where did they get off to?" Tracer asked loudly. Engineer sat back down.

"They went to the surface to burn BLU Spy's body, but their comms just suddenly cut out!" He began typing furiously. "I've tried all the channels already. No luck on any of 'em!" Tracer blinked over to a nearby microphone. She grabbed it and held it up to her mouth.

"Everyone! Code Silver! I repeat! Code Silver! I need all available personnel in the command room ASAP! Demoman and Roadhog are in potential danger!"

* * *

"Genji. Status report." The sound of RED Spy's voice made Genji perk up. He had been standing in the middle of the ruined, moonlit street, supervising a squad of Talon soldiers as they searched every corner of the area. He pressed a button on his comms.

"We have spotted two rebels who had wandered above ground to dispose of a large, unknown object. They seem to have fled upon sighting us and gone into hiding. We are currently sweeping the area for them." Genji explained monotonously. He checked his surroundings. Talon soldiers were checking every corner of the abandoned street, foraging through dumpsters, breaking open doors to nearby buildings, and digging through piles of rubble.

"Good." RED Spy responded. "Continue with current objective. Do not fail." RED Spy's feed was cut with an abrupt crackle from the radio. Genji took his hand off of his comms and refocused onto the task at hand. He could sense the two rebels in the area, but he has no idea where they could be. He could feel a bit of their presence in all directions. Genji signaled for his troops to move to the next street. The troops moved without question, with Genji trailing after them. Silence echoed down the street, gusts of wind blowing little bits of rubble around.

"I think they're gone…" Demoman whispered. "Move over, I'm peekin'."

"Watch your foot!" Roadhog grunted. "You're stepping on my face!"

"Shut it, ya bleedin' idiot! They might still be up there!" The manhole cover shifted open ever so slightly. "Alright! We're all clear matey!" The cover slid open all the way. Demoman hoisted himself up onto the surface. He stood up straight and stretched out his back. "Ach! We must've been down there for a good half hour! Right Roadie?" Demoman turned around, expecting to see Roadhog standing behind him. Instead, he heard a small grunt come from the manhole. Demoman took out a flashlight and peered down the tunnel. Roadhog looked right back at him, his large belly clogging up the tunnel.

"I'm stuck." He said bluntly. Demoman couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, making Roadhog growl at him.

"Here matey." Demoman leaned over the hole and stretched out a hand towards Roadhog, who firmly took it. "On the count of three, I'll pull and you'll push. Got it?" Roadhog replied with a nod. "Alright, one...two…"

"Ahem."

Demoman startled a bit at the sound of the voice. He slowly turned around and saw Genji standing behind him, his katana drawn and pointed menacingly at Demoman. "By the order of the Director of Overwatch, you are under arrest for disrupting the peace. Come quietly, and you shall not be harmed." Demoman's eyes widened in surprise. Seeing no other option, he carefully knelt down onto the ground, laying his grenade launcher and stickybomb launcher down. He put his hands behind his head as Genji approached him cautiously. Suddenly, the moment Genji came within arm's reach, Demoman unsheathed Eyelander from its scabbard strapped to his back and took a violent overhead swing at Genji. This move caught him by surprise, giving him barely enough time to deflect the blow. Before Genji could recover, Demoman swiftly grabbed his waist and suplexed him into the manhole.

"Rip 'im apart, Roadie!" Demoman yelled into the manhole. There was only a brief silence before the sounds of painful screams and electrical fizzles echoed from the depths of the manhole. Roadhog's strenuous grunts could be heard amid the mess. After a few seconds of vicious beatings, Genji's robotic limbs started flying out of the hole, starting with his arms. Demoman jumped backwards, narrowly dodging a robotic foot landing before him with a thunk. A few moments later, Genji's agonized cries finally died down as his head was tossed out, covered with severe dents. A chain hook followed the head out of the manhole and latched itself onto the pavement. Demoman saw the chain tighten as the hook dug itself into the ground. A few moments later, Roadhog finally emerged from the manhole, slowly pulling himself out with his chain. He crawled out and laid down on the cold street, panting with exhaustion. Small cuts covered his hands and forearms.

"Gimme a heads up next time you want to throw a ninja on me." Roadhog wheezed. Demoman smiled sheepishly.

"Aye, but ye have ta admit: that worked out pretty bloody well!" The radio on Roadhog's hip started ringing suddenly. Roadhog grabbed it and put it on speaker mode.

"Demo? Roadhog? You there?" Engie's voice blared out of the radio.

"Roadhog here. Demo's right beside me." Roadhog croaked into the radio. Engie gave a sigh of relief.

"Well, it's great that you fellas are alright. It looks like whatever was jammin' our radios is gone now." Engie cleared his throat. "Anyhow, did you two dispose of the corpse yet?"

"Aye matey!" Demoman exclaimed. "We chucked the body into a dumpster and blew it ta next Saturday!" Engineer chuckled.

"I didn't expect anything less from you. Now that the body's disposed of, you two should head back to base, alright?" Engineer paused to wait for a response. "Demo? Roadhog? Anyone there?" He paused once again. After a few seconds, Roadhog spoke quietly into the radio.

"Bad news…" He muttered. "These Talon guys just showed up out of nowhere and surrounded us…" Standing a distance from Demoman and Roadhog were a squadron of Talon gunmen, their assault rifles all aimed at the duo.

"Put your hands behind your head! Now!" Seeing no other option, Demoman and Roadhog knelt down and obliged. They watched as a single Talon gunman, presumably the leader of the group after Genji, started to cautiously approach them.

"Demoman!" A sharp whisper came through the radio, catching Demoman's ear. "Demoman! Pull out Eyelander and say zhese vords!" The duo recognised the voice to be Mercy's. Demoman slowly put his hands onto Eyelander's hilt. The Talon gunman was only a dozen meters away from them now. "Repeat after me. Quietly." Mercy cleared her throat. "O cumhachdach deamhain à ifrinn…" Demoman muttered those words under his breath. Suddenly, he could feel his missing eye's socket fill with more spectral energy then he had ever experienced. "...thoir dhomh an neart a dh'fheumas mi!" Mercy concluded. Demoman continued to whisper back Mercy's words.

"Get up!" The Talon gunman stood above Roadhog and Demoman. He kicked at them. "I said get up!" Suddenly, A pulse of green energy erupted from Eyelander, knocking all the Talon gunmen off their feet. Demoman unsheathed Eyelander and gave a loud roar. Roadhog got back up and looked at Demoman with curiosity.

"This should be interesting…" He remarked. Demoman looked down at the green energy emanating from body. He had never felt better in his life, not even Medic's Übercharge amounted to half of the power that he could feel flowing through him right now. He brought Eyelander down on the nearest Talon gunman's neck and swiftly decapitated him. He watched as Eyelander drew more green energy from the headless corpse, further amplifying its power. The rest of the gunmen had recovered and started shooting at Demoman, but their bullets were caught mid flight by a myriad of small tentacles made of green energy. They were quickly cast aside. The gunmen stopped shooting and were left in fearful awe of the spectacle they just witnessed. Suddenly, just when Demoman was at the peak of his power, he started feeling very tired out of nowhere. He fell to one knee and saw the green energy start to falter around him as it started to dissipate. The gunmen saw this as well and prepared to fire once more. Before they could, however, Roadhog had suddenly jumped in front of Demoman with a full top-loader stuffed into his scrap cannon. "Eat this." He grunted, before unleashing his Whole Hog onto the surprised crowd. After the metal maelstrom ended, all that remained of the Talon gunmen were shredded corpses and a few beat up pieces of equipment here and there. The green energy had fully dissipated by now, leaving Demoman panting with exhaustion. Roadhog unloaded the top loader from his cannon and looked back at Demoman in stunned silence.

"What...in the devil's...name...was that?" Demoman gasped. He grabbed Eyelander and used it as a crutch to hoist himself back up, only to slip and fall back down onto his stomach. Roadhog waddled urgently to his side.

"You alright?" He asked. Demoman gave a weak mutter.

"S-scrumpy...I...need...scrumpy…" Roadhog tilted his head in confusion. "I...carry a...backup shot...left pouch…" Roadhog sighed and opened Demoman's left pouch on his belt. He found a small jar of clear, golden-brownish liquid there. He took it out and opened the lid, releasing an incredibly strong alcoholic odor. Roadhog pulled his head away from the jar and coughed a bit. Demoman, however, seemed to perk up a bit after taking a whiff of it. He swiped the jar from Roadhog's hands and chugged it down in one gulp. The effect was like giving Popeye steroid spiked spinach. Demoman immediately perked up and leapt to his feet, full of energy and livelihood. "Ah ha ha! Nothin' like a shot of musty ole'moonshine-scrumpy that's been sittin' in me pocket for the last few decades to make you feel ten years younger!" He gestured to Roadhog as he picked up his dropped explosive devices and started walking back to the subway entrance with a spring in his step. "Come on, Roadie! We've gotta get back before the moonshine-scrumpy hits me liver! I'll probably be comatose by the time that happens, though." Roadhog chuckled at Demoman's sudden change in attitude.

"The man really does like his alcohol." He thought as he jogged to Demoman's side, ready to catch him in case he fell, as the duo made their way back to base.

* * *

Slivers of light passed RED Spy as the dimly lit elevator made its way downwards. The elevator stunk of cigarette smoke and chemicals, but this did not affect him in the slightest. After a short while, the elevator had arrived at its destination. RED Spy walked out and into a narrow hallway. There, a scientist in a long lab coat awaited his arrival.

"Take me to Project Occisor. Now." RED Spy ordered. The scientist turned around and lead him down the hall, all with a blank expression on his face. After some walking, the scientist stopped at a large door made of thick reinforced steel. He scanned a keycard and entered a password into a nearby keypad. The steel doors slowly opened with a loud groan as the scientist stepped aside to let RED Spy through. In the room, there was a gigantic metal vat full of a light blue, luminous, opaque liquid. Various machines and computers lined the room, almost all of them sprouting thick cables that lead straight into the vat. RED Spy walked onto a overhanging platform directly above the vat and looked into its contents. Smiling smugly, he reached towards a button nearby and pushed it. Loud mechanical hisses and clunks filled the room as the light blue liquid started to bubble. Once the bubbling had reached its climax, something began to rise out of the liquid.

It was Sniper.

Tubes of the blue liquid ran in and out of his body. He was bound to a metal cross, in which numerous cables were plugged into. Sniper's breathing was shallow. He cleared his throat, causing blue liquid to seep out of his mouth. Then, he spoke, his voice ragged and spiteful. "What do you want, you bloody wanker?" RED Spy smirked.

"Bushman, you know it is pointless to resist." He stated calmly. "The procedure will be finished, one way or the other. Once you give in-" Sniper chuckled sadly, interrupting RED Spy.

"Once you finish, all my friends will die. You've told me before, mate." Sniper coughed a bit, sending more turquoise liquid shooting out of his lungs. "But...At least I can buy them time...before you finish with me." RED Spy shook his head, his smirk still visible.

"Consider yourself lucky, bushman. It is an honor to be the one to get rid of Overwatch's most dangerous enemies." RED Spy took a small drag on his cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke at Sniper, making him cough even more. "I will admit, your resistance to the procedure is quite admirable. I'm sure if my scientists were not brainwashed slaves, they would want to further study your...exceptional mental state." RED Spy took his cigarette stub out of his mouth and tossed it aside. He took out his disguise kit and pulled a new cigarette from it. "However, let's not get sidetracked. I am here today... because I think I found a way to break you." Sniper looked up. His eyes were light blue and glowing faintly because of the liquid. "Recently, my scientists have suggested that I use some sort of intense emotional shock to break your mind. So I have been pondering day and night since then to think of what you loved most." RED Spy started pacing around on the platform, his disguise kit still in hand. "Then, just last night, I had a breakthrough." He chuckled. Sniper started feeling nervous.

"What would that be then, mate?" RED Spy looked back and snapped his fingers. A burly security guard lumbered forth from the shadows. Sniper recognized him. He was the same guard that had beat Widowmaker during her first night at Overwatch HQ. RED Spy looked down at his disguise kit and pressed a button. A cloud of reddish smoke enveloped him as his disguise started to take form.

"Funny…" He said through the cloud. "...I don't even have to change my accent." The cloud lifted, and Sniper saw who RED Spy had transformed into.

Widowmaker.

Just the sight of her alone was enough to make Sniper twinge. His mental state, no matter how strong, had suffered quite a bit the past two weeks, leaving him mentally vulnerable. The guard held a gun up to RED Spy's head. "Mundy!" RED Spy yelled using Widowmaker's voice. Sniper could feel his sanity on the brink. "Mundy! Please! Do what RED Spy says! They-they will kill me if you don't!" Fake tears fell from RED Spy's eyes, leaving Sniper wide eyed.

"A-Amelie...no…" He could not take his eyes off of RED Spy. The guard shoved RED Spy to the ground and put the gun right up to his head. This image had burned itself into Sniper's mind. "No…" He muttered uselessly. Suddenly, it happened.

He broke.


	18. Anniversary Chapter

**Celebrating this story's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!**

 **So, one whole year has gone by ever since this story's clumsy and awkward birth after I decided to try my hand at fanfiction. What started as a little way for me to express how I think the TF2 mercs and Overwatch heroes would act together turned into a (hopefully) intricate story with many loose ends that desperately need tying. To celebrate this milestone, I wrote this short story about some of the livelier days before RED Spy's takeover. A bit of a contrast to the gloomier and more serious tone of the recent chapters. Anyways, without further ado, I present to you…**

 **Anniversary Chapter: Who Touched My Gun!?**

"...she weighs 150 kilograms and fires $200 custom-tooled cartridges at 10000 rounds per minute." Soldier 76 sat across the table from Heavy, listening intently. On the table, laid Sasha, Heavy's minigun. Heavy looked Soldier 76 in the eyes. "It costs four hundred thousand dollars to fire this weapon…" He leaned in close. "...for twelve seconds." Soldier 76 chuckled. The two of them were in Heavy's room, where Heavy was giving Soldier 76 a complete rundown of Sasha's inner workings.

"Very impressive. Overwatch's standard miniguns can only fire up to 6000 rounds per minute. That's some serious firepower you've got there." He remarked. Heavy nodded proudly.

"I had Sasha custom built by best gunsmith in all of Russia. Very respectable man. Charged very reasonable price as well." He put a hand on Sasha's barrel, rotating it slightly. "She and I have been through many hardships on battlefield." Soldier 76 was mesmerized by the clicking sound of Sasha's barrel rotating.

"That's one mean machine for sure." He muttered. His outstretched hand slowly crept towards Sasha's barrel. Before he reached it, Heavy firmly grabbed it out of the air, snapping Soldier 76 out of his trance. He looked up at Heavy's stern expression.

"Do not...touch...Sasha." He warned. Soldier 76 tried to break free, but to no avail. "I do not care how important you are, Sasha is off limits." He released Soldier 76's hand, who stumbled back, rubbing his wrist.

"Hmph, if you say so." He said, glaring back at Heavy. A brief stretch of awkward silence loomed over the room as the atmosphere grew less friendly by the second.

"Well, I must be going now. Doctor needs me to show his girlfriend benefits of having goat stomach instead of human one." Heavy hopped off his work stool and drew a clean, white tarp over Sasha. He fastened the tarp's corners down to the legs of the table tightly. "Remember…" Heavy growled. "I see one finger smudge on Sasha when I get back, I will find way to squash you like bug." Soldier 76 waved his hand dismissively.

"Psh, whatever...it's not like I wanted to touch it anyways…" Heavy looked skeptical about Soldier 76's statement.

"Leave this room. Now." Heavy ordered, pointing to the door. "I do not trust your grubby hands with Sasha." Aggravated, Soldier 76 stood up to his full height, despite still falling short of Heavy's massive frame.

"Is that how you talk to your superiors? As Strike-Commander, I'll leave on my own accord." Heavy glowered down at Soldier 76, his patience visibly running out. Behind his tough guy act, Soldier 76 did feel a bit threatened by Heavy's menacing figure. "You know, I think I'll leave now. It's the mature thing to do to help the quell this...situation." He said, making his way towards the door. Heavy trailed after Soldier 76, steering him out like a police officer escorting a convict. Once the two of them had exited, Heavy gave Soldier 76 one last threatening glare before walking down the hallway towards the medical bay. Soldier 76 stood in silence, watching Heavy move further and further away. The moment Heavy turned the corner, he pulled out his administrator keycard and scanned it on the keypad beside Heavy's room.

"A minigun that can fire 10000 rounds per minute? No machine gun in the world can achieve that." He muttered to himself. A small beep was heard as the keypad released the lock on the door. Soldier 76 quietly opened the door and snuck in. "If this hunk of junk from the 1900's can outfire the best of Overwatch's state-of-the-art weaponry…This prompts further investigation." He looked at the desk where Sacha laid, under the white tarp. He smiled smugly. This was too easy.

*chik*

Suddenly, a hidden sledgehammer swung down from the ceiling, nailing Soldier 76 in the face. He flew backwards out of the room, slamming against the hard tile floor. He laid on the floor for a few moments, stunned by the blow. Blood started pouring out of his broken nose, which he quickly, but painfully snapped back into place. He took out one of his biotic field generators, activated it, and held it up to his face. Once his broken nose and other injuries had been healed, he slowly got back up, seething with anger. He stomped back into Heavy's room, only to make it a few feet in before getting violently blasted back out by a concussive mine. He slammed against the floor of the hallway once again, his ears ringing from the blast.

"Commander Morrison! No!" Soldier had caught sight of Soldier 76 from down the hallway. He rushed to his side and knelt. "Sir! Are we under attack? Should I sound the alarm and call the president again? Not with my phone though. I think he blocked my number..." Soldier looked up at where Soldier 76 flew out from. His eyes widened with shock."Wait...is that...Heavy's room?" Immediately, he stood and started backing up. "Sir. If you value your life, I suggest that you run far, far away from here." Soldier 76 looked up in confusion. The ringing in his ears had just started to subside, which means that he didn't hear a single thing Soldier said. "If Heavy asks, tell him I was never here." With that, Soldier turned around and ran away, leaving Soldier 76 baffled to what just happened. Finally, the ringing had completely faded away, allowing Soldier 76 to stand back up.

"Did he...just activate those booby traps? I don't remember those being there before…" He muttered to himself, rubbing the back of his head. "I can't do this alone…"

"What happened 'ere!?" Soldier 76 looked to the side. Junkrat was walking towards him from down the hallway. "I was just gettin' some beauty sleep in my room nearby until I heard a J8-Kesler Concussion mine go off!" Soldier 76's eyes lit up. Junkrat was someone who specialized in preparing booby traps. Perhaps he could help him out.

"Jamison! You see that white tarp in that room?" Soldier 76 asked as he pointed at Sasha. "It's surrounded by multiple booby traps. If you can retrieve what's under the tarp, then I'll double your pay." Junkrat held a boney finger up to Soldier 76's face.

"Nuh-uh-uh! Obviously whatever's under that tarp is real important to you, so I really wanna wring you out for this favor…" Soldier 76 sighed.

"Fine. What else do you want." Junkrat gave a sly smile.

"If you can give me one of Tracer's little pulse bombs, I'll gladly fetch whatever's under that tarp for you…" Soldier 76 hesitated briefly. Junkrat had been trying to steal Tracer's pulse bombs ever since he first saw it in action. He had gotten his hands on one of them before, but his excessive tinkering with it led to the partial destruction of the Overwatch base in Hawaii. This time, however, Demoman was here to make sure that Junkrat's volatile curiosity was kept (mostly) under control. With that thought in mind, Soldier 76 nodded.

"Fine. You'll get your pulse bomb. Just don't-" Before he could finish speaking, Junkrat was already in Heavy's room, scanning the floor for traps.

"Crikey… this place is just crawlin' with tripwires, mines, and other doo-hickies." His eyes darted back and forth, identifying all the threats in the room. "At least none of this stuff is fatal." He muttered. Junkrat began to move deeper into the room, cautiously stepping over the almost invisible tripwires. Soldier 76 watched with anticipation as Junkrat inched closer and closer to the final goal. Suddenly, Junkrat froze in place, letting out a quiet squeal. Red laser sights suddenly appeared all over his body. Soldier 76's eyes widened. "Jack, I tripped some sorta motion sensor. If I move, I'm gonna get tased to next Tuesday. Get help." Junkrat sputtered. His breathing quickened as he tried to keep as still as possible.

"This is quite a dilemma you've got here." Spy's smooth voice caught Soldier 76's ear. He decloaked beside him, cigarette in hand.

"How long have you been there?" Soldier 76 asked.

"Long enough." Spy took a short drag on his cigarette. "If I manage to retrieve Sasha for you, will I also be rewarded?" Soldier 76 nodded.

"What do you ask for?" Spy smirked.

"Double my pay…"

"Done." Soldier 76 said. Spy cleared his throat.

"...and I wish for a pre-arranged date with Lena Oxton." He finished. Soldier 76 looked away.

"I'm afraid that's not my choice to make." He said. Spy chuckled.

"No. I'm just asking you to pay for a dinner for two in Las Vegas, along with scheduling a private jet and buying a strapless scarlet dress with matching scarlet heels." An image of a rather seductive looking Tracer in a strapless red dress flashed in Soldier 76's head. He smiled.

"Heh. Sure then. I'll get everything set up for the date. Also...can you…get me a picture of Tracer in that dress?" Spy raised an eyebrow. "I-it's because I've…never seen her in a dress…that's all." Soldier 76 muttered sheepishly. Spy smiled.

"It's understandable. After all, Tracer is a rather good looking dame, if I do say so mysel-"

"GUYS! Stop your yappin' and help me for christ's sake!" Junkrat hissed. His face was twisted with strain as he struggled to stay still. "I'm aboutta become french toast and you pervs are hittin' on Tracer behind her back? Get your priorities straight!" Spy and Soldier 76 sighed.

"Well, I believe I'll get moving then." Spy said, adjusting his tie. He calmly walked to the entrance of Heavy's room. "Just hold on for a few more moments, Junkrat." With those words, Spy cloaked and ventured into the room. Soldier 76 and Junkrat both watched nervously as the sound of footsteps neared Sasha's desk. Junkrat felt something pass himAfter a few moments, the footsteps stopped. The room grew deathly silent.

Suddenly, a massive spark of electricity flashed across Sasha's tarp. "GAAAH!" Spy shouted out in pain as his Invis-watch shorted out, rendering him visible again. He tumbled backwards, triggering several tripwires. An assortment of heavy objects swung and dropped down from the ceiling in an attempt to crush the intruder. Spy franticly tried to dodge them, but ran straight onto a concussion mine doing so. Soldier 76 quickly dodged to the side as Spy flew straight out of the room headfirst with a deafening boom. He faceplanted into the hard tile floor, knocking him out cold. Meanwhile, Junkrat was at his limit. He whimpered in stillful fear as chaos unfolded around him, with all of the falling objects narrowly missing him. Suddenly, an anvil dropped onto his foot, creating a sickening crack that echoed across the room.

"YEEEOW!" The moment Junkrat tried to pull his foot out from under the anvil, four taser cartridges shot out from within the walls and latched themselves onto Junkrat's body. Thinking quickly, he immediately threw himself onto a concussion mine before the tasers could administer a shock. He came flying out of the room, landing on top of Spy. Despite being blasted away like that, Junkrat sighed in relief. "Could've been a lot worse..." His words faded away as he noticed something. The tasers were still stuck to him, their abnormally long wires trailing out from the room. Junkrat grimaced. "Son of a bitch…"

*ZAAAP*

"YAAARRGH!" Junkrat and Spy both screamed. Spy quickly snapped awake and threw Junkrat off of him, disconnecting himself from the electric shock. Junkrat flopped around like a fish out of water, yelling out in pain. Soldier 76 swiftly grabbed the wires and gave them a firm yank, pulling the cartridges off Junkrat. His excessive twitching subsided, leaving him in an exhausted and wide-eyed state. Soldier 76 sighed and took another biotic field generator off his belt. He deployed it next to Junkrat and Spy, who both sighed in relief as the biotic field worked its magic. Soldier 76 turned towards the wrecked room. All the furniture were scattered around, some of them smashed in by the falling objects. The only area in the room untouched by the chaos was Sasha's desk.

"Y'know, you can go in now." Junkrat wheezed. Soldier 76 raised an eyebrow at him. "Spy and I tripped just about every trap in there. I can't see a single mine or tripwire in your way." Spy nodded.

"Yes. The tarp was electrified, but I managed to attach a sapper to it before I got shocked. It should be harmless now." He noted. Soldier 76 smiled victoriously.

"You two have done good. Now rest up. You'll both get your rewards as soon as possible." He said proudly. Through his pain, Junkrat snickered mischievously as thoughts of Tracer's pulse bomb flooded his mind. Spy licked his lips at the thought of his impending date. Soldier 76 marched into Heavy's room. He walked right up to Sasha without a single obstruction, surprising him mildly. He saw the sapper sitting on top of the tarp, hissing away as it diverted its electric power. "Well, this is it." He muttered to himself, grabbing the sapper by the handle. With a flourish of white cloth, he threw the tarp off of Sasha, revealing her in all its glory at last. His eyes ran up and down Sacha's body, enraptured. "Alright you beautiful hunk of junk. You're coming with me." He said quietly to himself. His hand reached towards Sasha's handle slowly, the look of greed in his eyes.

"Well. This is not big surprise." A deep voice rumbled behind him. Soldier 76 jumped, his hand accidentally tipping over Sasha's desk. Sasha clattered against the floor noisily, sliding onto an undetonated concussion mine tucked away towards the back wall of the room. It went off with a loud bang, launching Sasha upwards. There was a deafening crack as Sasha's barrel lodged itself into the plaster ceiling. There it hung for a few dreadfully long seconds before the body broke away from the barrel and fell back down, smashing into a million pieces. Grim silence followed. Soldier 76 was left speechless. He turned around slowly to see Heavy standing there with Junkrat and Spy caught in headlocks. Soldier 76 gulped in fear. Heavy's expression was calm, which just put him off edge even more. After a few seconds, Heavy slowly leaned in close to Soldier 76 face, making him back up a bit.

"Now, let's not rush to conclusions here…" Soldier 76 suggested fearfully. Heavy continued to just stare at him calmly. Suddenly, Heavy chuckled. Before long, he had burst into hysterics, dropping Junkrat and Spy onto the floor. The two accomplices gasped for air as their airways cleared up. Soldier 76 was left confused as Heavy's hearty laughter filled the room.

"Oh ho ho! I knew getting Engineer to install security measures was good idea!" He exclaimed. "It was worth it to get fake Sasha and see little thieves get crushed! Ha ha ha!" Soldier 76's eyes widened with shock.

"Th-that was a fake? You planned all this?" He asked in disbelief. Heavy nodded proudly.

"Da! Engineer helped me with details, but it truly was best plan!" He said. Soldier 76's face immediately turned a bright shade of red. He walked out of the room, flustered. Junkrat and Spy both noticed him leave.

"Oi Where'd you think you're goin'!?" Junkrat asked loudly.

"You promised us compensation, Jack! Get back here!" Spy added. The two of them sprung to their feet and raced after Soldier 76 angrily. Heavy chuckled.

"They are all such children…" He remarked. He bent down and picked up one of the fake Sasha parts. "I should go get real Sasha back from armoury. It-" Suddenly, noticed something odd about the part. He ran his fingers over its shiny, black surface slowly. The feeling of cold metal filled them, causing Heavy to drop the part in horror. The fake one was made out of plastic.

 _This was the real Sasha_.

"MORRISON!"

* * *

 **There it is! My tribute to this story's one year anniversary! I'm about five and a half pages into the next real chapter, so do expect that soon (in Valve time). As to what's keeping me from working on this story, two things: school, and music. I'm currently trying to compose/arrange a song for my school band, so that takes up a lot of my spare time. But still! As I said, I'll keep this story updated no matter how slow! I'd just like to thank you all for following my story for so long one last time! See you in the next chapter!**


	19. Chapter 18: The Word of a Traitor

**Chapter 18: The Word of a Traitor**

Tracer wasn't sure what she was looking at, standing in the dimly lit makeshift laboratory. Medic and Mercy were feverishly making final adjustments to a large, black, garbage bag-like sack hanging from the ceiling that was bloated with some sort of liquid. The sack twitched every so often, usually when Medic or Mercy changed its IV tubes. Stacks of chemical-filled IV bags lined the room, some on stands, some on tables, and some dropped haphazardly on the tile floor. Medic and Mercy themselves looked burnt-out and grizzled. Medic had taken off his lab coat and his tie. Mercy had changed into her own lab coat and let her hair down. Faint black rings had formed under their eyes as they slaved away analyzing data and changing IV bags. After three days of non-stop working, they were finally ready to show Tracer the fruits of their labor.

"Alright…" Mercy said, stretching her back. "Diedrich and I have run zhe last of zhe diagnostics and injected zhe last of zhe needed lemicals."

"Chemicals, darling." Medic corrected without looking up. He seemed a bit less tired than Mercy, which isn't saying much. "I've been telling you to give my Kritzkrieg a try, mein schatz! One breath of its fluid can revitalize you for a brief vhile." Medic urged. He reached over to his Kritzkrieg hanging on a rack nearby, held the nozzle up to his face, and shot a puff of glowing red mist out. He took a deep breath and immediately perked up a bit. Mercy scoffed.

"Please. Zhe only reason your Kritzkrieg can give you any energy at all is because you used methamphetamine as zhe binding agent in its solution." Medic shrugged.

"Don't vorry, mein schatz. I've implanted cobra livers into every member on my team, including myself, to dilute zhe effects of zhe crystal meth so ve can only feel its re-energizing attributes." Mercy sighed.

"I don't have any cobra livers in me, so please refrain fro-"

"GUYS!" Tracer's yell seemed to snap Medic and Mercy out of their conversation. "Sorry for yelling, but I really don't have all day, so can we get a move on?" Medic sheepishly rubbed his head.

"Sorry Lena. Anyvays, vhat you see in front of you is a masterpiece of medical research!" Medic gestured with his arms extravagantly. "Zhe two most brilliant minds on zhe planet have come togezher to grow a man from a tiny finger!" Mercy chuckled at Medic's exaggerated presentation.

"I vill admit, zhis is quite zhe project you have given us, but I believe zhat ve have pulled zhrough." Mercy walked over to the large sack, pulling a flashlight from her coat pocket, being careful to not trip over any dropped IV bags. She stepped behind it and shined the flashlight into the bag. Tracer could see the silhouette of a man curled up in fetal position. One large tube was connected to the man's abdomen, like an umbilical cord. "We essentially created an artificial vomb and used the DNA code in zhe finger you gave us to grow BLU Spy back from scratch." Mercy explained.

"Ja! Ve zhen used a variety of methods to accelerate zhe growth rate exponentially! From fetus to man in zhree days time! Memories included as vell!" Medic smiled with accomplishment. Tracer nodded.

"So, is he ready to be released?" She asked. Medic took his Kritzkrieg off of its rack, strapped on the backpack it was attached to, and pointed the nozzle at the sack. Mercy grabbed her Caduceus Staff from a nearby desk and aimed it at the sack as well. Simultaneously, they both activated their respective healing devices, latching their beams onto the sack. The sack started to pulsate and wriggle as the healing beams started to intensify.

"Activate zhe charge now!" Mercy ordered. Medic dutifully hit a switch on the side of the Kritzkrieg. Tracer watched as its beam immediately outshined the Caduceus Staff's. The sack started crackling with red energy, twitching and throbbing even more now. "Stabilizing energy fluctuations…" Mercy reported. She was trying to control her staff as if she was handling a wild anaconda. She periodically switched between her healing and damage boost beams as she struggled to stand her ground. After a few seconds, the energy had finally subsided from the sack. Medic and Mercy lowered their devices and watched intently. Suddenly, a muffled yell erupted from within the sack. It started to thrash around violently, causing Tracer to step back. Medic grabbed his bonesaw from a nearby tray.

"Shall ve, mein schatz?" He asked Mercy. She nodded and stood back. Medic took a deep breath and held up his bonesaw. "Alright, stand back everyone!" He slashed at the side of the bag, cutting it wide open. Instantly, red liquid spewed out from it, splashing onto the floor. A bald, naked man soon tumbled out after the liquid, collapsing onto the hard floor. Tracer blinked backwards in surprise. The man instantly started screaming at the top of his lungs. He wriggled about on the floor like a worm, opening his eyes soon after. After a while, he had stopped yelling, and was instead taking deep breaths while letting his eyes adjust to the dimness of the room. Tracer looked on in disgust. The red liquid was all over the floor now, soaking everyone's shoes in it. The sound of the man's breathing filled the room.

"So… Do you mind warning me the next time you send your goons to beat me to death?" BLU Spy muttered. He sat up and looked at Tracer grudgingly.

"Right...sorry about that." Tracer said sheepishly. She slowly approached BLU Spy. "How are you… feeling right now?" She asked. BLU Spy chuckled.

"Like I'm ten years younger." He replied. He got up and rubbed his chin, feeling for his stubble. "Hmm, how long before my hair grows back in, doctor?" He asked Medic.

"Let's see here...at least two veeks." He replied. Medic yawned and put his arm around Mercy, who rested her head on Medic's shoulder. "Now, if you vill excuse us, Angela and I vill be taking our vell needed break. I believe zhat you have got zhe situation under control now, Lena?" Tracer nodded in response. "Wunderbar! Don't bozher calling for us in zhe next day or so!" And with that, Medic and Mercy exited the lab and started making for their room. Tracer turned back to BLU Spy.

"Right. First things first, let's get you some clothes." She said. BLU Spy chuckled.

"What? You can't tell me that you feel truly bothered seeing me naked." Tracer paused. "After all, you seemed to enjoy yourself quite so during your little...sexual excursion with RED Spy." Tracer's face reddened with embarrassment.

"H-how did you know?" She asked angrily.

"I am a Spy, mademoiselle. It is my job to know everything about everyone." BLU Spy retorted. Tracer sighed and handed BLU Spy a cheap, blue jumpsuit, which he squinted his eyes in disgust at. "What are these rags you are handing me!? I cannot embark on dangerous errands in these dilapidated rags! I demand a freshly laundered Louis-Crabbemarché jacket and a pair of-"

"Take it. It's all you're gonna get." Tracer said firmly. BLU Spy sighed and unwillingly took the jumpsuit from Tracer's hands. He slipped it on, trying to not get it wet from the liquid on the ground.

"Funny how you would take the time to have a clone cloned." BLU Spy stated.

"What? What do you mean by that?" Tracer asked. BLU Spy's eyes widened in surprise.

"You do not know? You just think that the BLU team looks exactly like the RED team by coincidence?" He scoffed. "The entire BLU team consists of cloned RED team members! Making sure that none of us are seen with our original counterparts is one of the Administrator's most stressful tasks."

"Yeah, yeah." Tracer said dismissively. "Well, keeping you away from the people who killed you is gonna be my job for the rest of the time you're staying here." She handed BLU Spy a thin cotton balaclava, which he put on. "Remember: You can only be seen by Medic, Mercy, Scout, Widowmaker, Reaper, and me. However, the best scenario would be to not be seen by anyone. Got it?" She ordered in a stern voice. BLU Spy nodded.

"Keeping out of sight is something I am very proficient at." He responded confidently. This made Tracer feel a bit more comforted.

"Alright then, if you say so." Tracer turned around and started walked out of the lab. "Follow me. I'll show you to your room. There, I'll brief you on your mission." BLU Spy started at her with confusion.

"Mission? What mission?" He asked. Tracer stopped and turned her head slightly.

"You think I'd save someone like you if I didn't have a reason?" She asked BLU Spy coldly. A long silence hung in the air until BLU Spy broke it with a sigh.

"Look, Lena. If it makes you feel any better, I'm...sorry...for all the horrid things I've done." BLU Spy's apology caught Tracer's ear. "RED Spy...he payed me unbelievably large sums of cash to do most of his dirty work. Now, I can see that this is indeed his doing, and that he has cast me aside like a useless insect." Tracer turned around, seeing BLU Spy hanging his head in shame. "I will not lie, I didn't see any of this coming. RED Spy's original plan was so much simpler… He had me convinced that we were only going to sabotage Overwatch for financial gain, but I had no idea that he would go this far." BLU Spy looked up and approached Tracer, looking her in the eyes. "I hope that my service can amend my past sins, mon amie." He muttered as he knelt before her gallantly, bowing his head down once again.

"Great. I'll brief you in five." Tracer said as she turned back around, surprising BLU Spy.

"What!? I don't even get a 'thank you' in response? Do you know how much effort it took to even get the word 'sorry' out of my mouth?" He looked up at Tracer, annoyed. She started walking out of the room.

"Look sunshine, save your apologies until after you do what I say." She said coldly. "Now, please. Just shut up and come with me." BLU Spy sighed.

"Very well, Lena." He lamented as he got back on his feet and followed Tracer out.

* * *

To all who receives this letter,

First, I must thank you for even bothering to see what I have to say. The fact that you even bothered to open this letter seeing that it was from me already gives me hope. It truly means a lot. All of you need to know that Talon has been gutted inside out as well. The bulk of our forces have fallen under Chavern Ronseau's (RED Spy's) control. I have gathered the remaining Talon forces and set up base in Maximilien's casino in Monaco, France. This is our final stronghold. Thankfully, our situation is not as dire as the Overwatch resistance's, which is why this letter even made it out to you in the first place. Unfortunately, this is also why we cannot sent a copy of this letter to the Overwatch resistance in Houston, Texas. This means that you are our only saving grace.

A full list of everyone whom this letter has been sent to:

-Mikhail Koscatovil

-Aleksandra Zaryanova

-Jack Morrison

-Dell Conagher (Senior)

-Hanzo Shimada

-Jesse Mccree

For those whom it may concern, I hope you all are willing to put Overwatch and Talon's blood feud behind us for now. Believe me when I say humanity's every existence is at stake here, so I suggest you all make your way to Maximilien's casino in two week's time through any means necessary. There will be a teleporter going into the casino hidden inside of the meat locker of the "Boston Fried Giblets" restaurant located on Montage Street in Monaco. After the two week deadline, I'm afraid that I must destroy the teleporter to keep the enemy from finding it.

Best of luck,

Gabriel Reyes

* * *

"Eyelander? Come out. We need ta talk." Demoman sat in his room, on the edge of his mattress. Eyelander lay across his lap, unsheathed. A faint green light started to radiate from Eyelander's blade.

"So…" Eyelander's ghastly voice hissed. "It certainly took you a while, but it looks like you've finally said the words." Demoman held Eyelander up to his face, his eye burning with anger.

"What have ye be hidin' from me, ya bloody ghost sword!? What are you!?" He shouted, shaking Eyelander violently.

"I suppose now that you've actually bothered to activate me, I have nothing else to hide." Demoman's hands steadied themselves as he gritted his teeth.

"I thought we were best mates, Eyelander! What would ye have to hide from me!?" He shouted, his voice filled with accusation. "Five long bloody years we've been togetha', and ye still 'ave th' resolve to hide something so important from me for all that time!?" Eyelander's light grew stronger.

"Listen to me, Tavish." He rasped. "It's been over six hundred years since someone was able to last activate my true form. Do you know what it even takes to do so?" Demoman listened with confusion as Eyelander raved on. "You can slaughter an entire village of pure blood virgins and it still won't be enough! If only you knew the scale of the situation, you'd truly understand!"

"Then BLOODY TELL ME!" Demoman roared, shaking Eyelander once again. "TELL ME WHY!" His arms steadied as he set Eyelander back onto his lap. Eyelander sighed.

"I guess I will start from the beginning then…" He said. Demoman nodded in agreement. Eyelander took a deep, non-existent breath, and started his tale.

* * *

You see, Tavish. I am no mere spirit. I'm a demon from the depths of hell. Ever since Bombinomicon left Merasmus and became the Devil by blowing up Lucifer, he's been treating the underworld like his personal plaything. During that time, I was known as 'Illerder the Headtaker'. I was one of Lord Lucifer's deadliest demons. In fact, he only seemed to call on me to catch the most dangerous of spirits who had escaped from hell, like Zephaniah Mann.

However, Bombinomicon didn't share the same views that Lucifer did. He banished all of Lucifer's followers to the surface world tens of thousands of years back in time and wiped our memories clean, leaving us to wander astray in an unfamiliar setting. I am sure that some of my comrades still haven't found themselves yet to this day. Due to pure cunning on my part, I avoided the memory wipe and decided to find purpose in this new life by taking on a new physical form. One that would not only grant me the meaning I desire, but also would become a companion to a human.

As you are familiar, whenever you choose to bring me into battle, I sap some of your strength. That is because I need to in order to keep hold onto this form. However, in order for me to take any person's energy they must first strike a deal with me. I'm sure you remember the first time we met. How I said that I would give you great power if you gave me a bit of yours. I did that with every human I had been paired with. I left out the fact that I was a demon to not intimidate my clients any further.

Yes, I chose to become a blade. I've possessed swords, scythes, axes, sickles… anything that could take heads. The form you see me in now, however, is one that I have remained in for centuries. It all started with your ancestor, Alastair Degroot. It is his sword I've possessed, for he was the first of your bloodline I've managed to find.

You see, I cannot be wielded by a normal human. I can only be used by those whose souls had been tarnished by murder, for that is the power I must leech off of. Alastair wasn't just another tyrannical ruler who hid behind his guards all day. He took pleasure in leading his troops into battle time and time again. He never hired an executioner, preferring to carry out his sentences himself, and often without a trial. He wasn't a man who killed for his people, but for his own sadistic pleasures instead. Of course, I didn't care. In fact, the sheer amount of murderous energy I absorbed from him was why I was able to keep my physical form for 600 years after he threw me to the bottom of the sea to pursue a life of peace after being defeated by Medic and Mercy. Mann co. eventually found me on a salvaging mission and offered me as a gift to you.

* * *

"Ach, I guessed as much." Demoman replied. He had been enraptured by Eyelander's story. "I remember that me father told me stories of a powerful ghost sword that served that monster Alastair." Eyelander chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad to have served in your lineage." He said politely. He then cleared his non-existent throat. "Now that we've caught up, it's time to focus on the present situation. You are crap at controlling my powers." Demoman smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, ya did catch me by surprise earlier. Hell, I don't even know what you're bloody devil powers are!" He responded.

"I understand that, Tavish. Thit is not something I can teach you myself, however. That is why we must find someone to help us." Eyelander said. "I do have someone in mind, though. You and your team have met him in the past on several occasions." Demoman sighed exasperatingly.

"Don't tell me…Now I gotta go crawlin' to that dress wearin' eye-stealer?" He complained. Eyelander chuckled.

"Don't blame me, now. He's the only being I know of who can train you and won't kill you on sight." Demoman raised an eyebrow.

"What do ya mean 'won't kill me on sight'? He's tried ta before!" He asked.

"Not when he sees me, he won't." Eyelander replied. "Alright, now that we have cleared matters up, it's about time we set off on our quest."

"How do ye say we do that? Overwatch 'as got us surrounded on all sides! Besides, how would the rest of them fair with one of their best men gone to search for a wizard?" Demoman questioned. Eyelander's glow started to strengthen even more.

"I can sense that a soul has been rebirthed in this very building, so they won't be a person down. As for how we escape…just hold onto me tightly and do not let go under any circumstances." Demoman looked bewildered, but obeyed. His knuckles clenched as his hands tightened around Eyelander's grip. Suddenly, Eyelander emitted a blinding bright green light. "Let's go find Merasmus…" And with those words, the duo vanished in a quick flash, leaving not a trace of their presence in the room.

* * *

"She's a beaut, ain't she." Engineer said proudly. He and Pharah were looking through a huge glass pane, into a massive room. In the center or it stood a strange tower with a cylinder of glittering panels sitting on the top of it. Radar dishes were placed randomly around the length of the tower, stretching all the way down. "I reckon that I can get the prototype up and runnin' in a week or so, and if everythin' goes accorin' to plan, it'll be easy street from here on out." Pharah smiled at the thought of that.

"The enemy knows about our trump card. Their siege is unrelenting, hindering the superweapon's progress." Pharah glanced over at Engineer. "It also doesn't help that we only have one actual engineer in this entire base." Engineer chuckled.

"Y'all have been a big help, though. Riskin' your lives to go above ground to get me materials, helpin' me hoist these hunks of metal into place, don't go on sellin' yourselves short here." Engineer praised. Pharah smiled softly.

"Thank you, Dell." She leaned over and gave Engineer a nudge. "...or should I say: Director Conagher." Engineer looked away shyly. He wasn't used to be called something as high and mighty as "Director." Suddenly, a glint of light caught Pharah's eye amid the dimly lit structure. Her eyes widened in sudden realization. She had fought enough snipers to know what that glint was. She swiftly tackled Engineer to the ground.

*BANG!*

Engineer and Pharah could feel the bullet slice through the air above them. Pharah rolled off Engineer, took out her pistol, and fired a few shots at where she saw the glint of light. Sure enough, she saw a figure dart away from the spot and behind a corner. Engineer got back up and took out his pistol as well. He held his radio to his mouth.

"All units be advised! We've got an assassin in the base! I repeat, we've got an assassin in the base!" Pharah grabbed Engineer's shoulder.

"Director! We must get you to the saferoom!" She yelled urgently. Engineer nodded in agreement. The two of them started making their way out of the room, keeping an eye out for the mysterious assassin.

* * *

The alarm woke Widowmaker up quite suddenly. She immediately leapt out of her musty bed and grabbed her rifle. She had no time to change into her skin tight jumpsuit, so her tattered sports bra and dirty sweatpants would have to do. She burst out of her room, rifle in assault mode. She looked both ways across the hall, seeing no threat. Silently, she crept out from her room, taking care to not brazenly run into the intruder. Suddenly, she heard something fast dash past behind her. She whipped around, just managing to catch a glimpse of a humanoid figure skittering up a wall. It suddenly stopped and turned its head at Widowmaker, letting her finally see who he was.

Sniper.

His eyes were glowing light-blue, devoid of any humanity whatsoever. His movements were that of a spider, his limbs spread out and bent in abnormal angles. His face was stiff and expressionless, a grave contrast to what Widowmaker was used to seeing. Before she could react, Sniper leapt off the wall and landed on all fours on the ground, making Widowmaker back away in surprise. In the blink of an eye, he pounced onto Widowmaker, tackling her to the floor. Her rifle was knocked out of her hand, landing out of arm's reach. Her heartbeat quickened. She was running out of ways to fight back. Despite all of her struggling, Sniper's grip didn't budge. She looked up in panic. Sniper reached behind him with a crooked arm and slowly drew his kukri. Widowmaker yelled out.

"Mundy! Stop!" She cried. Her words had no effect on Sniper, who just stared back at her emotionlessly. "I don't know what they did to you, but you have to snap out of it!" The kukri started nearing Widowmaker's shoulder. The moment Sniper leaned in close enough, Widowmaker headbutted him in the face. A sickening crack was heard as her forehead burrowed into Sniper's nose, snapping his head backwards. Suddenly, Widowmaker felt the touch of cold metal on her left hand. She looked over and saw her rifle sitting right in the middle of her palm. Instinctively, she burst free of Sniper's grip while he was stunned, aimed the rifle at his chest, and fired.

The bullet sent Sniper flying backwards, landing with a bone-jarring crunch on the hard tile floor. Widowmaker immediately got back up. "I didn't think that they would get you too..." She muttered, walking over to Sniper. "Next time we meet, I swear that I'll find a way to free you, and-" Suddenly, Sniper leapt back onto his feet and pulled out his SMG, catching Widowmaker by surprise. The bullet had torn a hole in his clothing, but was stopped by what looked like a thick scaly hide on his chest instead of normal skin. Without hesitating, Sniper opened fire, hitting Widowmaker in the chest a few times. She desperately looked around the barren hallway for anything to hide behind, but to no avail. Just as she braced herself for the killing blow, Sniper's bullet onslaught suddenly stopped. Widowmaker opened her eyes again to see a tranquilizer dart sticking out of Sniper's unprotected neck. He fell over clumsily, unconscious. The pain from the bullet wounds was shooting throughout her chest. Suddenly, the sound of a man grunting in pain caught Widowmaker's ear. She looked across from her, and couldn't believe her eyes.

BLU Spy lay beside her. He had taken a bullet from Sniper to the shoulder. A tranquilizer gun was lying beside him. He looked up at Widowmaker, a slightly concerned look in his eyes. "Call for the doctors...Don't make me take a bullet for you for nothing…" With those words, he gave her a faint smile before he cloaked. Widowmaker could hear his footsteps echoing down the hall through the massive pain in her chest. She weakly reached for the radio on her hip and raised it to her lips. "I-I need healing..." was all she could get out before passing out.

 **30 minutes ago…**

Tracer sat cross-legged in her room, anxiously waiting for BLU Spy to return from his mission. Suddenly, she heard fast footsteps coming down the hallway towards her room. Her door was flung open by an invisible force. "Lena! I bring terrible news!" BLU Spy said urgently as he decloaked. He shut the door and looked at Tracer with a grim expression. "I've done what you've asked. I've infiltrated their siege forces and hacked into their database. I tried to gather as much information as possible." Tracer stood from her stool.

"Well? Out with it!" She urged. BLU Spy took a moment to readjust his tie and his composure.

"I rushed back as quick as I can when I found this out. They will be sending something called 'Project Occisor' at us any moment now. Given that 'Occisor' means 'Killer' in Latin, we must take immediate action!" BLU Spy pulled out his cigarette case and flipped a switch on it. "Luckily, I took a few pictures of some things that looked important. Hopefully a senior Overwatch member such as yourself can make more sense out of these photographs than I could." He handed Tracer the case, its screen showing pictures of various signs and documents. "Just skim through them. I don't think we have much time left." Tracer scrolled through the pictures one by one, carefully examining each and every one of them. After a while, her eyes fell on a picture of a document. Upon closer inspection, she could make out some of the words. Squinting her eyes, she read it out loud.

"The Ludwig Procedure: Human augmentation via soul-tampering." Tracer's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to pick up as much of the document that she could. "I can't believe what I'm reading right now…Soul transplants? Demonic infusement? What is all this?" BLU Spy cleared his throat.

"Yes, that particular document piqued my interest as well." He said bluntly. "However, I think that we should focus on preparing for Project Occisor's assault right now instead of looking into these fil-" Suddenly, the alarm system's loud blaring cut BLU Spy off. Tracer looked up at the flashing alarm lights.

"There's an intruder in the base!" She exclaimed. BLU Spy's eyes widened.

"Lena, I am willing to bet you my entire life savings that this intruder is Project Occisor." He said tensely. Tracer blinked over to her nightstand and grabbed a tablet from the drawer. On the its screen were feeds of all the security cameras in the base, organized into neat columns and rows. Tracer's eyes darted back and forth between feeds, desperately searching for anything that resembled a person. Suddenly, her eyes fell onto the Superweapon Examination Bay's camera, where Engineer and Pharah were gazing at the Superweapon through the bay's thick plexiglass windows. As they made idle chit-chat, they failed to notice a man crawl silently into the room. Tracer gasped in horror, catching BLU Spy's ear. He dashed to her side.

"What? What is it?" He asked urgently. His words died on his lips as he saw the what was unfolding on screen. The man stealthily dashed into position and took out his rifle. "It's Sniper!" BLU Spy exclaimed. "Sniper is the intruder! I recognize that rifle!" The two of them looked on in frightful suspense as Sniper laid down onto his stomach and took aim.

"Why aren't they doing anything!? The alarm's wailing like a banshee and those two are still just standing there!" Tracer yelled.

"Any amatuer assassin would know to disable the alarm system closest to their targets, if not to the whole base." Luckily, Pharah noticed Sniper at the last second and tackled Engineer to the floor. Tracer and BLU Spy sighed in relief as Pharah and Engineer returned fire, driving Sniper away.

"My god…" Tracer remarked. "For a second there, I thought the resistance was finished…" She wiped her forehead in relief. BLU Spy suddenly gasped in realization, catching Tracer's attention.

"If there's anything I've learned from my time posing as Winston..." Tracer grimaced a bit at the mention of that incident. "...If there's any trace of the bushman's personality left, I know who he will go to now that his targets are on the alert." BLU Spy pulled out a tranquilizer gun from his jumpsuit's pocket. "On the off chance that I am wrong, are you sure you can defend yourself should he come for you next?" He asked, a bit of concern in his voice. Tracer was taken back at his tone.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me, love." She replied. BLU Spy smiled before fading from view and running out of the room, leaving Tracer in her lonesome. She chuckled. BLU Spy might be a slimy snake of a man, but he was loyal. "All the more reason to keep an eye on him." Tracer thought. After all, who knew if BLU Spy's loyalty wasn't all a giant ploy?

 **The next day, somewhere deep underground…**

RED Spy walked timidly down the ominous hall. Tall pillars made of black marble sprouted out of the hard tile floor, stretching far into the dark abyss above. He looked back and forth, his eyes filled with terror. "S-Sir? Did you call for me?" He asked timidly.

"Ey-hey! It's my favorite guy! How's my favorite demon doing, eh?" A rather nasal voice echoed throughout the hall, making RED Spy jump. "Hmm… Oh man, that look in your eyes means you don't have good stuff, do you? Come on buddy, tell me I'm wrong." RED Spy gulped in fear.

"A-actually sir...It's about Project Occisor…" The voice cut him off with a joyous cackle.

"Ah ha! I knew it! Occisor pulled it off, didn't he? Aw man, I really love that guy, ya know? He's the best of the best! Good stuff, good stuff." RED Spy looked down, trembling. "Hey, why the long face, buddy?" The voice implored. RED Spy took a deep breath before replying.

"Oc-occisor...f-f-failed, sir." He braced himself. The voice didn't respond at first, but soon gave a small chuckle.

"See? This is what I hate about this whole mess! When one of us wants to go into the real world, we have to take over a fleshbag! I'm sure Occisor was just still getting used to his new body, you know?" RED Spy was surprised that the voice was taking this so well. "In fact, I'm so impressed with you, man. You've done so much in that fleshbag! Turning Overwatch into a heap of burning caca, along with those pesky mercs." RED Spy immediately fell to his knees and bowed.

"Sir, you are most merciful!" He praised. The voice chuckled again.

"No no no, it's not mercy I'm showing. If I had a reason to kill you, man, I'd do it in a heartbeat. That day hasn't come yet, mi amigo." RED Spy humbly got back up and nodded.

"I promise that I will not fail, sir!" He boasted.

"Heh, good stuff, man. Good stuff. Now get outta here. You're cutting into my beauty sleep." With those words, RED Spy was whisked out of the hallway in a brilliant flash of light. Once he was gone, the voice sighed. "This place is so cramped. Hell's just not big enough these days." He paused. "Earth has gotta be way bigger than this dump. I can't wait!"


	20. Chapter 19: Zerfallen

**Chapter 19: Zerfallen**

"Push forward! Move!" Heavy boomed over the roar of his minigun. The small group of brainwashed Talon and Overwatch soldiers were shredded instantly by the barrage of bullets. The dimly lit street was scarred with war, as Heavy, Zarya, Soldier 76, Mccree, Hanzo, and Old Engineer slowly pushed their way through the enemy forces through Montage Street and towards Boston Fried Giblets. Zarya stood beside Heavy, lobbing explosive balls of plasma at soldiers hiding behind obstacles. Soldier 76 was busy clearing out the adjacent buildings, trying to destroy as many enemy encampments as possible. Mccree was escorting Old Engineer, who was hurriedly moving his gear up as the team's two powerhouses pushed the front lines. Hanzo was perched up high on the rooftops, felling foe after foe with his arrows.

"C'mon y'ole geezer!" Mccree urged, motioning for Old Engineer to keep up. "We need that sentry up on that ledge there!" He turned back around, shooting his Peacemaker with deadly accuracy. Old Engineer hobbled forward with a toolbox in his hands.

"Hey! Respect yer elders, boy! My legs are killin' me!" He grudgingly ran over to the ledge Mccree was pointing at and dropped his toolbox off. Within seconds, the level three sentry had unpacked itself and started mowing down soldiers left and right. Old Engineer wiped his brow as he took a bit of pride in his work. However, an Overwatch sniper had caught Old Engineer in his sights. Just before he could align his crosshairs, an arrow soared through the sky and embedded itself right between the sniper's eyes, killing him instantly.

"I hope you realize I just saved your life, old man." Hanzo muttered from his perch. He was located atop an apartment building, his eyes scanning the streets below for his next target. He pulled out a scatter arrow from his quiver and fired it into a crowd of soldiers. He watched with satisfaction as the arrow hit the ground and split into six in the middle of the crowd, impaling them all. He then loaded a sonic arrow onto his bow and fired it at the side of a building. "I've marked your next target, Jack! Go!" He urged.

"Roger that!" Soldier 76 replied as he sprinted towards the marked building. He could see red blips on through his visor, indicating where the enemies are. He dashed across the street under the cover of Heavy and Zarya's firepower and launched a set of helix rockets at the wall of the building. The explosion not only blew through the thin layer of wood, but also caught two Talon Soldiers in the blast. Soldier 76 dove into the building, expertly clearing the room of enemies with controlled bursts from his plasma rifle. He broke into room after room, leaving none alive in his wake. Within about a minute and a half after Hanzo first marked the building, Soldier 76 had cleared it of all enemies. "One minute twenty six… that was the fastest one yet." He said to himself. "Alright Heavy and Zarya, the building's clear! Move up!"

"Da! Moving!" Zarya replied as she blasted through a group of soldiers with a powerful energy beam. She looked over at Heavy. "Alright Mikhail, let's go!" Heavy gave a nod in response.

"Anytime you're ready, Aleksandra." With those words, Zarya began charging up her Particle Cannon.

"Fire at will!" She yelled as she unleashed her Graviton Surge. The deep blue energy ball flew through the air and landed right in the middle of the street. The ball immediately exploded into a massive singularity, sucking up all of the enemy soldiers before them into the center. "Go Mikhail! You are shielded!" A clear light blue bubble of light had formed around Heavy.

"Raaaah! I am bulletproof!" He roared as he pushed forward with a large grin on his face. Any harm directed at him was deflected by the bubble. He aimed Sasha at the center of the Graviton Surge and fired. By the time the surge had faded, all that remained were hole-ridden bodies and shredded up equipment. Heavy spun Sasha down, noticing its lack of weight. "Engineer! Sasha needs more bullets!" Old Engineer perked up.

"Comin' right up!" He grabbed his PDA and pressed a button. A toolbox containing a Dispenser materialized into his hands as his old legs started hobbling their way towards Heavy. Suddenly, an Overwatch soldier leapt out from behind a destroyed car and charged at Old Engineer with a knife. Immediately, he threw the heavy toolbox at the soldier, hitting him in the chest. While he was disorientated, Old Engineer threw off his thick rubber construction glove to reveal the Gunslinger. He then threw a powerful punch at the soldier's face, snapping his neck in one blow. As the soldier's corpse fell to the ground, Old Engineer chuckled. "Still got it…" He said, rubbing his knuckles.

"Ahem..." Heavy's gruff voice snapped Old Engineer's attention back. He sheepishly put his glove back on and picked up his dropped toolbox, making his way towards Heavy.

"Heh, just like old times." Old Engineer remarked, dumping the toolbox at Heavy's feet. After a few seconds of unpacking, the Dispenser was up and running. Heavy sighed in relief as soft beams of red healing fluid seeped into his wounds, sealing them shut. Zarya and Mccree also huddled around, tending to their own injuries. Heavy sat down and placed Sacha by his side. He grabbed a belt of ammo from the Dispenser and started feeding it into Sasha's ammo drum. Mccree grabbed a few revolver bullets and filled his ammo pouch back up.

"Don't get too comfy, team." Soldier 76 said. He and Hanzo had caught up with everyone else. "Now that we've got their attention, they're gonna send reinforcements here at any moment." Hanzo nodded.

"As a matter of fact, I managed to get a good look at our surroundings while up in my nest." He added. "The junk food restaurant is only a few blocks from here, so I suggest we move while we can. The way is clear for now, but I did catch enemy movement closing in on our location." Zarya smirked.

"Let them come! We will tear through them like we have torn through these weaklings." She boasted confidently. Heavy chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"You have your grandmother's willpower, Aleksandra. We will crush any babies that stand between us and our goal!" He declared.

"Don't either of you fellas go lookin' for a fight, now." Mccree urged. "As macho as you two think you are, I don't think there's even enough bullets between all of us and that Dispenser to kill every last soldier here." Old Engineer opened his mouth to protest, but shut it after some consideration.

"Jesse's right." Soldier 76 said. "We can't wait for them to come to us. We have to get moving to Boston Fried Giblets! If you guys are done with the Dispencer, then we should move out!" He started walking down the street, with everyone else trailing behind him.

"Jack!" Old Engineer's voice caught Soldier 76's ears. He turned around and say Old Engineer standing tiredly by his packed up sentry.

"Listen, I'm an old man nowadays. If you could help me carry my sentry, I'll owe you one." Soldier 76 chuckled a bit behind his mask. "I heard that!" Old Engineer shouted defensively. "I'd like to see you rascals haul a 900 pound machine gun around a battlefield for two hours straight at my age!"

"My, how the tables have turned…" Soldier 76 remarked. He walked to Old Engineer's side and easily hoisted the toolbox onto his shoulder. "But still, aged or not, it's always an honor to fight by your side again…sir." He said proudly. Old Engineer smiled.

"You too, Jack. You too." With those words, the group started making their way down the desolate street towards their destination.

* * *

"How long 'ave we been walkin' again? My feet are bloody killin' me!" Demoman groaned. He and Eyelander were traversing through a dark and misty forest. Eyelander was tucked away in its sheath, where it gave Demoman directions.

"Stop complaining, Tavish. We've only been walking for five minutes." Eyelander said. Demoman sighed.

"The only bit of alcohol I've had since everything went to crap was my shot o' moonshine-scrumpy and a bit a' hand sanitizer! So don't blame me for havin' no energy!" He grumbled. The two went silent for a moment as Demoman trekked deeper into the forest. Soon, Eyelander spoke up.

"Well, Tavish? Aren't you going to ask me about my powers?" He asked eagerly.

"Oh, right! Lay it on me, friend." Demoman said. Eyelander chucked with glee.

"If there's one thing I love to do, it's to flaunt my almighty abilities!" He cackled. "Right, let's start with the basics. Unsheath me." Demoman stopped walking, a haughty grin forming on his face.

"Oh! A live demonstration? Hell bloody yes!" He shouted, drawing Eyelander with vigor. "Right! What do I do first?"

"Say the waking words. That'll activate my true form." Eyelander instructed. Demoman closed his eye and started muttering the phrase Mercy taught him. The moment the final word escaped his lips, an explosion of green energy enveloped Demoman. He roared as the power coursed through his veins. "Calm down there!" Eyelander hissed urgently. "You're letting all my power flow out!" Alas, Demoman couldn't hear a word Eyelander was saying. "Stop it! Get a grip on yourself! This is exactly what went wrong the first time!" The light from all the green energy was just as blinding as Demoman's roars of fury were deafening. A solid column of spectral energy shot up into the sky, piercing the dark nighttime clouds. "Never mind...this is way worse! Tavish! Come on! Sto-" Before Eyelander could finish his sentence, the bubble of energy around Demoman started to slowly compress.

"RAAAAAAH!" Demoman yelled, his voice demented and deepened. Just when the bubble had shrunk to half its size, it suddenly exploded violently. A tidal wave of spectral energy was released in all directions, disintegrating every living thing it touched. Trees were reduced to piles of ash. Wild animals were stripped of their fur and flesh, leaving behind only charred skeletons. The earth below turned from a rich brown to a dusty grey, as every single grain of dirt touched by the wave had its nutrients evaporated. Eyelander watched on with shock.

"He...he...managed to use my ultimate attack! Without trying!" He muttered, panic in his voice. "But at this rate, he's gonna wipe out the entire forest!"

"DISSIPATUS MORTEM!"

Suddenly, the tidal wave of energy stopped in its tracks, hovering softly in the air. Demoman abruptly stopped yelling and fainted, collapsing onto the dusty ground. In the distance, a figure wearing a heavy robe could be seen walking through the energy towards Demoman. Eyelander was overcome by confusion. Who was this being that could brave these conditions?

"You there! Show yourself!" Eyelander rasped. The figure gave a menacing chuckle.

"Look at you, Illerder… dragging me back here to clean up another one of your messes..." Eyelander gasped. He knew that voice. "Besides, there was going to be a Francis the Talking France marathon on tonight! That show's over 200 goddamn years old by now! Do you have any idea how often the producers decide to put it on air?" The green energy parted, revealing the figure's identity. Merasmus trudged into view with an annoyed expression on his face. He suddenly stopped and looked down. He saw Demoman passed out on the ground, Eyelander lying beside him. Merasmus briefly went silent. "So...after all these years...He finally became worthy of you…" He remarked, stroking his chin.

"I'll say. The boy you once knew has been long gone." Eyelander replied. Merasmus picked up Eyelander with one hand and held him up to his face.

"We'll save the commentary for later. Let's get the boy to my castle first." He said.

"You're going to tell him everything, aren't you?" Eyelander asked. Merasmus nodded.

"It's been far too long. He needs to know about his destiny." He muttered. "Let me guess…those Overwatch people brought the boy into this time period?"

"Yes." Eyelander replied. "Along with the rest of the team." Merasmus chuckled coyly.

"Well! I believe I have a lot of catching up to do about this era! I've been lounging around in Hell for far too long!" He admitted. "Now, enough chitchat! Let's get moving!" He hoisted Demoman onto his shoulder and secured Eyelander to his belt. "Ipsum Instantarium Merasmus's Castle of Eldritch Horror!" With those words and a wave of his staff, the trio vanished in a brilliant flash of green light.

* * *

The door to Boston Fried Giblets was blown wide open by a volley of helix rockets. Old Engineer and Soldier 76 dashed into the building first, followed by the rest of the group. Outside, Overwatch and Talon gunships were blindly raining hell onto the streets below, hoping that one of their shells would hit their target.

"Those gunships came outta nowhere!" Mccree exclaimed, holding onto his hat so that it wouldn't get blown away.

"Thankfully, I believe that we have remained hidden to the enemy. They are hoping to snuff us out like rats by destroying the surrounding area." Hanzo replied. "Even so, it seems like that we do not have long to find the meat locker. If one of those shells happens to hit this frail fast food restaurant…"

"You're here." The group all suddenly looked in the direction where the smooth voice came from. A man in dressed Talon Special Ops gear stood across the restaurant. Everyone immediately drew their weapons and aimed at the man, making him recoil. "Hey! I'm not one of those brainwashed freaks! I'm part of the Talon resistance!" He explained urgently. "Put your guns down! Agent Reyes sent me and my squad to defend this location!" Soldier 76 squinted his eyes suspiciously at the man. "Look, you can interrogate me all you want! My men have set up a force field on the roof, so this building isn't gonna fall any time soon!" Just as the man said that, a deafening 'gong' reverberated throughout the building, making everyone but the man cover their ears in discomfort. The effect was like being inside a struck church bell.

"Grah! What was noise!?" Heavy asked loudly.

"Another shell just hit the force field. You'll get used to it after a while." The man replied dismissively. Old Engineer turned over to Soldier 76.

"Jack, I think this guy's tellin' the truth. So far, I don't think I've seen a single goon with higher brain function to the extent of this fella'." He reasoned. Soldier 76 sighed, and motioned for the group to lower their weapons.

"Teleporter. NOW!" He growled at the man.

"Ok, ok… sheesh." The man turned around and lead the group deeper into the restaurant. "Wendigo!" He called out. Another man decked out in Talon special ops gear poked his head out from a nearby room. This man, however, wore a strange wooden mask on his face. "Seal the doors! We've got them right here!" Wendigo nodded and dashed out of the room, squeezing by the group. "Lithium! Send a message to Agent Reyes and Director Ogundimu! Tell 'em we've got the package!" He shouted to another nearby soldier. Lithium immediately took out his transmitter and started contacting headquarters. Fissure then turned to a incredibly burly-looking man standing nearby. "Big Ben! Pack up our food rations and ammunition! We're heading back to base!" Big Ben nodded and immediately began piling unopened cans of food and boxes of ammunition into several crates. "Those three make up the elite task force Agent Reyes and Director Ogundimu put together. The name's Fissure. I'm the leader of the group, as you probably guessed." Fissure came to a stop before a heavy iron door.

"That's the meat locker, right?" Soldier 76 asked. Fissure nodded.

"Stand back, folks. We welded the door shut so no one could access the teleporter until you guys came." He warned, motioning for the group to back up. Once it was clear, Fissure took a cylindrical object from his belt and pressed a button on the back of it. A long, glowing, orange spike extended out from the bottom of the device. Fissure reached back, and forcefully stabbed the orange spike into the middle of the door. The door suddenly cracked in half, allowing Fissure to break through it with just a shoulder bash. A blast of chilled air poured forth from the meat locker, along with the bloody smell of raw chicken meat. Amid the shelves of spoiling drumsticks was a slender, white device that emitted a clear blue circle above it.

"Hol'up… that ain't a teleporter!" Old Engineer exclaimed. Fissure looked back at him quizzically.

"What? You never seen a teleporter before?" Fissure asked, surprised. "We custom ordered this baby from Vishkar! It has twice the amount of charges a regular teleporter has! Cost us a fortune as well…" Old Engineer chuckled.

"Pardon me, but I personally wrote the book on teleportation devices!" He scoffed. "This piece 'a junk can't be used an infinite amount of times? Belongs in the scrap heap if y'ask me!" Heavy nudged Old Engineer with his elbow.

"Now is not time to complain how bad this baby teleporter is. Let us move first!" He urged. Old Engineer sighed.

"Fine, but the first thing I'm doin' once we get back is buildin' you fellahs a proper teleporter! Free of charge!" He promised. Fissure smirked.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Conagher." He said. He then turned his attention to the rest of the group. "Alright! Let's get an orderly line going, people! One at a time!" The group hastily lined up in front of the glowing blue circle. "Go right on through! My squad and I will see you guys on the other side! Godspeed!" With those words, Fissure gave a small salute and dashed out of the meat locker, leaving the group to sort themselves out.

* * *

All was unusually quiet in Merasmus's Castle of Eldritch Horror. Not even any of the residing rabid raccoons made a sound tonight, mostly due to them being recently exterminated by Merasmus himself. Each room was not only covered in a heavy layer of dust and cobwebs, but also completely decrepit. However, there was one room in the entire castle that was restored to its former glory. The master bedroom.

Inside, Merasmus was sitting in a heavy oak chair, a monotonous expression on his face. Eyelander hung from an old sword display above the stone fireplace. Demoman was lying on the bed, still out cold. A small cauldron of opaque purple liquid was bubbling above a roaring fire, filling the room with a slight odor. The ticking of an old grandfather clock echoed throughout the room.

"That's it. I'm slapping him awake." Merasmus fumed, standing up from his chair.

"Come on. Don't do that. Just give him a few more minutes." Eyelander urged. "Just sit back down, man. We do have a lot to discuss." Merasmus sighed impatiently.

"The boy has been out cold for such a long time! We cannot afford to be wasting time like this!" He shouted, a bit of urgency in his voice.

"He's only been out for three minutes! Calm down!" Eyelander reasoned. Merasmus muttered under his breath in annoyance. He began pacing in front of the fireplace.

"So, what shall we talk about first?" He asked. "My time in Hell? Bombinomicon? The perfect way to store cream cheese? I'm open to anything."

"Zerfallen." Eyelander interrupted. Merasmus froze at the sound of that name, as if a chill had run through the room. "He is the prize in this entire mess. I need to know everything you've got on him." It took Merasmus a moment to wrap his head around what Eyelander was talking about.

"Ahh, still as ambitious as always, Illerder." He mused. Merasmus walked back to his chair and sat back down, crossing his legs. "I shall give you what you require, though it isn't much of anything that you don't already know…" Eyelander chuckled.

"Well, I guess I'm really that desperate, then." He admitted. Merasmus smirked.

"At least you're honest." He cleared his throat. "Very well! So begins my frightful retelling of the Lord of Decay, Zerfallen..."

* * *

As you know, Zerfallen belongs to neither good nor evil. Neither heaven nor hell. He is the embodiment of decay and destruction. Most folks would label something like that as "evil", but they forget that evil always has purpose. Hell exists to punish the damned, after all. What Zerfallen craves even after all this time is still nothing but meaningless destruction. He strides to destroy the world God and Lucifer had created. He is the zero in an equation. He seeks to turn whatever has been created into nothing.

I am sure you remember just how furious God and Lucifer both were after Zerfallen's first awakening. The world as we know it was wiped away without a trace within a few hours. God then seeked out Lucifer, forming a temporary alliance with him. After a long battle, the two of them managed to seal Zerfallen into the deepest pit of Hell. God then recreated the universe, while Lucifer had to resurrect every person who died by Zerfallen's hands. Within a short amount of time, the world was finally back to how it was just before Zerfallen's awakening.

You should be aware that Bombinomicon has plans to free Zerfallen. He's foolish enough to think that he can somehow control him. With every passing second, Bombinomicon grows more and more delusional about his powers. I do not know if you know this, but although Zerfallen was sealed away, his spirit is so strong that a part of him still resides in the real world. As long as there are humans alive on this planet, Zerfallen's essence will flow through someone's veins. The soul of the host will exhibit no symptoms, making it extremely hard for people like us to track him down.

* * *

"Why are you tellin' us this, wizard?" Merasmus jumped at Demoman's voice, who was now sitting up on the bed. "If this 'Zerfallen' is so hard ta track down, where would we even bloody start?" Merasmus's face lit up.

"Ah! You're awake, boy!" He exclaimed, standing up from his chair. He took the small cauldron off of the fire, grabbed a ladle, and walked over to Demoman. "Here, drink this." Demoman took a whiff of the mixture and immediately started gagging.

"Bleh! Didja get a skunk ta take a shite in this thing!?" He asked forcefully. Merasmus scooped a hearty ladleful of the purple solution.

"Yes. Skunk feces is a vital part of every Soul-bolstering potion." He crept the ladle closer to Demoman's mouth. "Now drink up like a big boy if you don't want to faint again." Reluctantly, Demoman grabbled the ladle from Merasmus's hand and chugged it all in one swig. His face scrunched up in displeasure as he tried to supress to urge to vomit. Merasmus handed Demoman a glass full of misty light-yellow liquid.

"Ach! I just drank yer devil's concoction and now ya givin' me more?" He complained. "Ugh, fine!" He took the glass and chugged it all down. A tangy sweet and sour taste filled Demoman's mouth, taking him by surprise. It washed away the terrible aftertaste of the potion in an instant.

"That was lemonade. I gave it to you as a chaser." Merasmus pointed out. Demoman set the glass down and rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Right…" He cleared his throat. "So, what's th' plan? How are we gonna stop Zerfallen?" He asked anxiously. Merasmus chuckled.

"We aren't going to 'stop him'. There is no way for beings like us to stop Zerfallen. What we are going to do is to find his host and protect them from Bombinomicon's forces."

"As I said, how are we gonna find Zerfallen? He could be inside one a' seven billion people! It's like looking for a needle in a bloody haystack!" Merasmus nodded.

"That is true. However, Merasmus wouldn't be so confident about our efforts if he didn't have a lead!" Demoman's face lit up.

"Yeah! Ya said something about Bombinomicon!" He said. "What does that eye-stealin' book have ta do with this anyways?"

"Oh, you didn't know? The attack on Overwatch was Bombinomicon's doing. He and his band of elite demons took over two of the most influential groups in the world and used their own forces against each other! He even went as far as possessing the leader of the aliens who you and your friends defeated years back." Demoman's eyes widened in shock.

"What!? I've gotta get back to the Overwatch resistance then! They need ta know what they're really up against!" He exclaimed. Merasmus shook his head.

"I'm afraid that both Eyelander and I are only capable of teleporting out of the base, not in. Bombinomicon's ring of influence around that area is too strong for us to penetrate." Demoman scoffed at Merasmus's response.

"Sounds like some cheap way to extend the plot in a story..." He muttered. Merasmus smirked.

"Say what you want, boy. There's no changing the fact that our powers have limits." He stated, clearing his throat. "Now then! Back to the subject at hand. I believe I told you that I have a lead? Yes. I did." Merasmus rambled. "During my last few days in Hell, I've been eavesdropping on Bombinomicon. There, I've uncovered a juicy tidbit that is both good and bad news for us. Bombinomicon believes he knows where Zerfallen's host is. He's narrowed it down to either an Overwatch Operative or a Talon Agent."

"How does he know that?" Demoman asked. Merasmus scoffed.

"Come on. He's the Devil now. He might be delusional and cocky, but he did acquire some rather rambunctious abilities. Also, he seems to have captured scientists from both Overwatch and Talon to make them help him find ways to detect Zerfallen's essence." He pointed out. Demoman stopped him suddenly.

"Hold on...how are you, a mediocre wizard, be able ta eavesdrop on the bloody Devil? How were you able ta escape Hell with all this information if you only know three spells, more or less?" He questioned. At first, Merasmus gave no reaction, but then burst into laughter.

"Ah ha ha! Foolish boy! You think that I, the great Merasmus, am just some cheap parlor magician?" He asked grandly, looking at Demoman for affirmation. He remained unconvinced. "Sigh...fine. Merasmus admits that he was a bit of a pushover back in the day." He confessed sheepishly. "However, being the Devil's roommate for this long really does has some perks, like always being in a convenient spot to overhear important conversations and having access to Hell's arsenal of magic spells!" Just then, the grandfather clock started to chime, catching everyone's attention.

"Look, Merasmus. It's getting late. Tavish now knows everything he needs to. We should get training." Eyelander interjected. Demoman's eye lit up at the sound of those words. Merasmus chuckled.

"Yes, yes. I can see the eagerness in the boy's eyes." He stood up from his chair. "Now! Without further ado, let the training...BEGIN!" Demoman gave a confident smirk and grabbed Eyelander from his display. The trio then began making their way out of the castle and into the front yard, where Merasmus had prepared their training session for the night.

* * *

"Hello everybody… it's been a while." Reaper greeted. Before him was the group of Overwatch operatives he had gathered. They had all just come tumbling out of the teleporter behind them, with Fissure's squad following closely behind. "Director Ogundimu and I are pleased to welcome you into our little fortress." The group examined their surroundings. They were in a large, spacious room. Dirty, ripped velvet carpet lined the floors. The walls were speckled with bullet holes and roughly patched areas. An assortment of pool tables, slot machines, and sandbags were all lined up facing the main entrance, forming a makeshift barricade. Men in Talon special ops gear were running back and forth like worker bees, some tending to the wounded, others just simply on patrol. The only source of light came from the brilliant chandelier hanging from the ceiling, which was surprisingly unharmed compared to the rest of the room.

"Where are we, Gabriel?" Soldier 76 asked.

"You are in Monaco's biggest casino, as well as one of Talon's biggest sources of income." A deep voice replied. Everyone looked to their left. Doomfist was walking towards them, an authoritative look on his face. Fissure's squad immediately stood at attention, saluting him. Doomfist sighed.

"No need, men. Formality is the last thing we should focus on now." He turned to the Overwatch group with open arms. "Heh, I've underestimated the lot of you. I thought that none of you would be mature enough to put aside our blood feud to fight for the greater good."

"Same for you, Akande." Old Engineer interjected. "I thought your whole 'conflict maketh man" mindset would get your sketchy terrorist group a pass on this whole situation." Doomfist shook his head.

"You don't think I know what's going on here? Chavern Ronseau decided to run out on the organization he founded and started to exterminate his own men, and to be honest…" An evil smirk started to form on Doomfist's face."...I couldn't have asked for a better excuse to get rid of that old fool." Hanzo stepped forward.

"So your intentions are the same as ours?" He asked. Doomfist nodded.

"Only together can we overpower the enemy. I'm willing to put aside our differences for now." He stated, looking around at the group. Doomfist turned to Reaper. "Alright, Reyes. We've wasted enough time welcoming our guests. It's time to brief them in on the situation." He ordered. "I have business to attend to on the west walls. I leave them in your hands." Reaper nodded as walked away, escorted by a squadron of Talon soldiers. Reaper turned back to the group.

"Alright. We'll be heading to the observation deck now for your briefing. Fissure, bring you and your men along. Let's go." He said bluntly. He turned around and started walking towards the nearest flight of stairs, along with everyone else trailing after him. After a few moments of silence, Soldier 76 chuckled.

"So, here we are again, Gabe. Fighting side by side like the good old days." He remarked. Reaper grumbled.

"Don't think that this changes anything, Jack. The moment we clean up this mess, Talon will become Overwatch's greatest nemesis once again." His words made Fissure cringe.

"Jeez, Reyes. Can you tone the edge down a bit?" He said nonchalantly. Reaper's gaze shifted to Fissure, eyeing him down intensely. Fissure sighed. "Come on, don't give me those murder eyes. You should really cut down on the threats while we're all on the same side. In fact, I-"

"Here's a bright idea. Maybe you should introduce you and your band of clowns to our guests." Reaper growled, his patience visibly running out. Fissure nodded in agreement.

"Right. I guess I never got to properly greet you guys back at the restaurant." He cleared his throat. "My name is Second Lieutenant Underwood. I'm the leader of the recently formed 'Resistant Special Ops', or RSO for short. I got the name Fissure because of this thing." He reached for a thin, black cylindrical device his belt and pressed a button on the back of it, causing a slender, orange spike to extend out of the front end. "This is one of my Fissure Bombs. F-Bombs for short. Custom made. You just stick the orange part into any barrier and it'll crack open like fresh lobster tail." Fissure turned to one of his men behind him. "Alright Lithium! You next!" He called out to a rather thin man wearing a pair of high tech goggles, catching his attention.

"All right then…" Lithium responded in a raspy voice. "I'm First Sergeant Maverick. I got the name Lithium because I'm good with tech." He then turned his head to the side. "...despite the fact that lithium as an element has nothing to do with electronics in the slightest…" He muttered. "Ahem… anyways, I generally take the boring job of running comm tech maintenance, repelling cyber-attacks from the enemy, and hacking into enemy databases." He turned his head to the side again. "... a year of basic training all down the drain. I'm always the guy in the chair… "

"Oh, do stop complaining, old chap!" A strong voice with a thick British accent boomed out. "Has it ever crossed your mind that you have the easy job?"

"Hush now Ben. Why don't you start introducing yourself now?" Fissure coaxed. Big Ben sighed.

"Fine. My name is Sergeant Major Benjamin Gregory Hughes Peterson Grummonds the Third, esquire. Most common folk have trouble remembering all that, so they decided to give me the moniker Big Ben, mostly due to my…" He quickly struck a pose, reeking with sheer masculinity. "...STRIKING FIGURE!" Reaper shot him a dirty look, making him snap out of his pose. "Ahem… anyways, if hasn't already been stated, I am the muscle of the group." Big Ben's gaze fell onto Heavy. "Ah! You there!" He called out. Heavy turned his head, a little annoyed. "Your physique is stunning! You would be someone whom I would not like to get punched by! And that's saying a lot!"

"Hey! What about me?" Zarya complained. "I'm the strongest woman in the world! I deserve as mu-"

"Hah!" Big Ben interjected. "I can tell from your physique that despite your strength, your punches would be but a tickle to me!" With those words, Zarya burst into a rage. She stomped over to Big Ben and punched him in his muscular chest with all her might, catching the group's attention. To her dismay, he didn't even recoil. Instead, he looked down at her with a smug grin. "Ah ha ha! You call that a punch, milady?" Big Ben taunted. He raised his hand and curled it into a fist. "This is what a real punch is like!" His fist sped towards Zarya's face, making her brace herself.

*CRACK!

Zarya jumped back at the loud sound. Heavy had caught Big Ben's fist before it made contact. His expression turned to one of surprise. "Alexandra. You should be careful with men like him. He is trained killer who works for terrorist organization." Heavy warned. Without warning, he then suddenly unleashed a powerful punch at Big Ben's chest.

"Oof!" Big Ben stumbled backwards, holding his chest in pain. When he recovered, he looked up at Heavy with a satisfied smile. "That...was...GLORIOUS!" He stood back up, still rubbing his chest. "Mother of god! I can still feel the throbbing pain in my chest! If that punch were to cause me a bruise, then it would be the first I have received in a long, long time." Heavy sighed and lowered his fists.

"...He's such a hothead..." Lithium muttered. "...good for nothing British bulldog can't even hold his own against some guy from the 1960's." Amid the chaos, Old Engineer couldn't help but notice the last man who hasn't said a word during this entire fiasco. He was wearing an ornate wooden aboriginal mask under his large hood, which concealed his identity very well.

"Hey Fissure!" Old Engineer called out. "Who's the quiet fellah?" Fissure looked at Old Engineer with unease.

"Him? That's Private Crha'a. We call him Wendigo." The group's attention fell to Wendigo, making him startle then look away bashfully. "He's...interesting to say the least. He joined Talon moments before we got taken over, which means that he's the least experienced soldier in the entire base."

"Interesting…" Hanzo mused. "Why does he not speak? Is he mute?" Fissure nodded.

"You know how he got the name Wendigo around here? It's because of the way he fights. He prefers to use two tomahawks instead of guns. He also knows a bunch of weird aboriginal fighting styles, which actually makes him on par with Big Ben in terms of one-on-one fistfights. He's quiet, fast, and deadly, which makes him a perfect stealth killer." He explained. "However, on his application form, he has stated that his training made him go mute indefinitely." Fissure looked back at Wendigo, who was still looking away in embarrassment.

"Well, he's definitely givin' off that new recruit feel. Always lookin' all shy and lonesome." Mccree stated.

"Hey!" Everyone turned their attention to Reaper. "If you're all finished with your little circus act…" Reaper lamented, feeling quite annoyed. "...we're here. The observation deck is just ahead." Reaper pointed to a set of large, ornate, wooden doors. He walked over to them and pulled them open, letting in a beam of sunlight. Everyone shielded their eyes, which needed to adjust to the brightness. It was almost noon outside, after all. Reaper stepped out through the doors and onto the observation deck, which was really just the casino's main porch re-outfitted with surveillance tech. Reaper walked over to a large, high-tech table and motioned for everyone to gather around it. "Lithium." He called out. "Load up the live feed of Houston, Texas." Lithium nodded and made his way over to a large computer terminal. He typed in a few command. After a few moments, a light blue hologram materialized onto the table. The hologram was showing a war-torn city, along with several bright yellow markers dotted throughout it.

"That's Houston?" Old Engineer exclaimed in disbelief. "Those bastards tore up the heart and soul of the South?! That's it. This war just became god-damn personal!" He declared, pounding the table in rage.

"That's a two million dollar table you're throttling . Watch it." Reaper warned. Old Engineer managed to get a grip on his temper, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. "Good. Now…" Reaper refocused onto the rest of the group. "We have sources telling us that the Overwatch Resistance is stationed inside Houston, particularly inside its subway tunnels. Houston is currently under extremely heavy siege by the combined Talon and Overwatch forces. With these facts in mind, Director Ogundimu and I have decided to launch an operation to free the besieged city in three weeks time. We call it, Operation Debes Nobis." Reaper pointed at one of the yellow highlighted spots, located on the outskirts of the hologram. "The attack shall commence here. We will paradrop the bulk of our forces at 200 hours here to establish a foothold on the city outskirts." He then turned his attention to Old Engineer. "Dell. You think you can build around six teleporters in three weeks time?" He asked. Old Engineer smirked.

"Boy, I can whip 'em all up in one night."

"Good." Reaper tapped the yellow point, making six smaller points extend outwards from it. The initial invasion force will be responsible to set up the teleporters. Once they're up, all remaining Talon soldiers will go through with various supplies, making it possible for us to establish a forward base. However…" The confident tone in Reaper's voice began to fade away. "We do have one major problem." Reaper pointed at another yellow point on the other side of the city. "This point is their main airbase. The enemy has taken over George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which means that the second we land at our starting point, they will send for reinforcements. If that happens, the invasion force will be dead by dawn."

"The airport is located on the outskirts as well…" Soldier 76 mused. "I'd assume that there's too many anti-air defences around such an important target. We would need an absurd amount of power to push in there." Reaper sighed.

"Yes, but the bulk of our forces need to be dropped at the starting point, or we would stand no chance even without facing enemy reinforcements." He stated. "Alright...it seems that we have some pondering to do. Anyone who's a good strategist, you may remain. Everyone else, head back and find Doomfist. He'll give you something productive to do." Everyone but Old Engineer and Soldier 76 turned around and left the deck. The ensuing silence was deafening.

"Where…" Soldier 76 muttered. "Where can we find such a powerful offencive force? Where… where… where…"


	21. Chapter 20: Spy's Redemption

**Chapter 20: Spy's Redemption**

RED Spy's panicked footsteps echoed down the hallways. He was desperately trying to find a place to hide, his eyes filled with fear. He sped down the corridor and dove into a janitorial closet. He slammed the door shut behind him and sat down on a bucket, catching his breath. Suddenly, a voice started to echo all throughout the abandoned corridors.

"Come out, my child. Please don't make your Mother angry." The voice was cold, lacking in emotion, but alluring at the same time. The very sound of it sent shivers down RED Spy's spine as he struggled to get his breathing under control. "I know you want to go out and play with your no-good friends, but it's my job to keep you away from such dirty influences." There is something special about Mother's voice. A part of RED Spy wanted to leap right out of his closet and follow her forever, like a baby chick following a hen. He grunted in frustration and violently clawed at his head.

"Stay focused. I must...stay...focused." He thought to himself, the sharpness of his nails digging into his scalp snapping him out of his trance. "I only have a few minutes before she comes back in, so I must make it count this time!" RED Spy stood back up, a look of steely determination flushing out his fearful expression. He turned his invis watch on and loaded up a map of the Overwatch HQ, which soon flickered onto his watch's tiny screen. "The broadcasting room. That is where I must go. That is where I will end this." With that thought in his head, RED Spy took a deep breath and took out his revolver. He silently opened the door and activated his cloak, sneaking out of the closet. He started to navigate through the dark hallways, occasionally glancing at his map. Before long, his cloak had worn off, rendering him visible once again.

"There you are, child..." Mother said in her all-encompassing voice. RED Spy immediately ripped two small pieces of cloth out of the base of his balaclava and stuffed them in his ears, partially blocking out Mother's seductive tone. "Listen to me when I'm talking to you, young man. It's disrespectful to clog your ears." She berated. RED Spy ignored her and sped onwards. Mother's voice started to lose it's kindness. "I'll have to send your brothers and sisters after you if you don't turn back this instant." She warned. All this did was make RED Spy tighten his grip on his revolver, fully expecting a fight to break out at any moment. Mother growled. "This hurts me more than it hurts you…"

With that, a small group of Overwatch and Talon Soldiers burst out from several nearby rooms, armed with assault rifles and pistols. Without skipping a beat, RED Spy took aim with his revolver and fired, managing to kill two of them with two clean shots. The rest quickly started laying down a wave of suppressive fire, causing RED Spy to dive into a room for cover, making sure to leave the door open behind him. The squadron cautiously approached the doorway. One of the soldiers unhitched a grenade from his belt, pulled the pin, and lobbed it into the room. However, the grenade suddenly stopped by itself in midair and was flung back at the soldier who threw it. Before he could even react, the grenade detonated, killing him. The others were knocked off their feet, but relatively unharmed.

RED Spy decloaked in front of the doorway, having invisibly caught the grenade mid air. He shot another soldier in the head before he could get up, leaving only two left. Seeing the soldiers raise their rifles once again, RED Spy quickly shot at a flashbang hanging off of one of their belts. The resulting bang and explosion of light sent the two guard careening into the hallway walls, leaving them blinded. RED Spy had managed to shield his eyes, while the fabric in his ears softened the deafening bang. With a twirl of his revolver, he quickly filled the two with lead. Before the two soldier's bodies could even hit the floor, RED Spy had taken off once again, feeling a bit more confident in himself. He could still faintly hear Mother's berating tone through his makeshift earplugs as he reloaded his weapon. After a few more turns, he had made it. He shot the hinges of the door and bashed it down, tumbling to the floor. He stumbled back onto his feet and made his way over to a broadcasting console, full of determination.

"Think before you act, child. Do you really think anyone will believe you?" Mother questioned discouragingly. Her voice was even more sinister than before. "Suffering is all that contacting him will bring, both on your part and theirs…" Once again, RED Spy's earplugs kept Mother's words of discouragement out of his head. He turned on the console and typed in a few commands. Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the room's doorway, causing RED Spy to frantically grab the console's microphone before ducking down. He desperately returned fire as the console hummed to life. Without a moment to spare, RED Spy raised the microphone up to his lips.

"Merasmus! This is RED Spy speaking." He said, panicked. "I have finally managed to break free of Mother's control for a moment! As you may be able to hear, I do not have much time right now." His point was reinforced as he was struck by a bullet in the arm. "Hrrng! Gah… I must be brief. I am liable to fall back under control at any moment!" He urged.

Broken glass started to litter the floor as bullets started to shatter screens and monitors. "All of Overwatch and Talon's personnel are being controlled by one being, myself included." He quickly paused to return fire. "Her name is Mother! She is one of Bombinomicon's underlings!" RED Spy loaded his last six bullets into his revolver. "Merasmus. What you told me all those years ago… it has happened! Forgive me for being so weak. The enemy was one step ahead of us. They put me under their control almost immediately after my team was brought into this era."

A soldier suddenly rounded the corner and found RED Spy ducking behind the console. Before he could shoot, RED Spy tripped him with a leg sweep and shot him in the forehead. "The glimpse into the future you had blessed me with two hundred years ago… if all has gone according to what we subsequently planned, then Demoman should be with you." He suddenly noticed a sharp pain in his leg. The leg sweep from earlier had caused a bullet to embed itself into his foot. "Nngh… As soon as you have finished training him, you two must launch an attack on the George Bush Intercontinental Airport! That structure is the one thing stopping the Talon forces from launching a rescue!" He urged, all while flinging a grenade back at its thrower. "Only when both Overwatch and Talon unite, shall victory be possible." RED Spy paused, having run out of ammo.

He stood up and threw his empty revolver at the enemy, managing to hit one in the head,knocking the soldier out. After taking two bullets to the shoulder, he quickly ducked back down and took out his butterfly knife. "Grah! Also...about Zerfallen, Bombinomicon's scientists think they may have found something massive. Something that has changed our understanding of what Zerfallen actually is! I know not of what it is exactly, but you must hurry! " RED Spy then cloaked and reached for a SMG lying on the floor beside him. He then reached over the console and blindly returned fire at his assailants. "One last thing. Bombinimicon is holding the rest of the world's population in something called a Soul Gap! I do not know what this is, but if anyone should know of this, it should be you." Suddenly, RED Spy's right hand was pierced by a bullet, causing him to drop his SMG with a painful yelp. In a panic, he managed to activate his cloak before the soldiers managed to surround his location.

"Once he shows himself, kill him." Mother ordered. RED Spy was trapped on all sides, his nine seconds of invisibility quickly fading away. He sighed, ready to accept his fate. He raised the microphone to his mouth once again.

"Give my message to the resistances. Tell them that if they destroy Mother, all of our comrades will be freed, and that they will be able to get some straight answers out of me." RED Spy smiled solemnly, walking up to a soldier. His time was almost up. He reached for a grenade on the soldier's belt and pulled the pin. "Goodbye, my friend. I'm looking forward to your rescue." With that, the grenade detonated, killing the soldiers and RED Spy instantly in a blast of shrapnel. Their bodies fell to the floor, covered in fatal wounds. All was quiet in the wake of the explosion, until Mother broke the silence with a small chuckle of amusement.

"The human spirit never fails to entertain me." She said. Slowly, the bodies of the soldiers and RED Spy began fading away. "Master must know about this unfortunate setback." Mother thought to herself. Strangely, her confidant, mesmerizing voice became tainted with the slightest bit of fear when she brought up Bombinomicon. Before long, all of the bodies had disappeared, along with their equipment and weapons. The broadcasting room was soon restored, looking as if the brutal gunfight had never happened in the first place.

 **200 years ago…**

The park was nice that day. The skies weren't too cloudy, yet it wasn't too sunny either. The songbirds were out, filling the fragrant air with their pleasant chirps. The air wasn't too humid, nor was it too dry. The people on the trails weren't too talkative, yet spoke with each other just enough to make the park feel alive. The temperature was a cool 24℃. Not too hot, not too cold. It was days like these Spy liked the most. Not because he liked being outside, but because nothing could bother him. No ominous silence, no chaotic chitter-chatter, no sweat, no chills, and most importantly, no gunfire.

Spy was walking down the park trails, disguised as a random person he had walked past earlier. His disguise wore an average sized t-shirt and exercise shorts, along with being rather gaunt and pale. To Spy, this was the most innocuous form he could take to avoid attention. He looked down the trail and saw a man hunched over in the distance, sitting on a park bench. He was leaning on a scrappy-looking cane and was wearing a puffy jacket with jeans, looking wildly overdressed for the weather. Spy sighed and walked up the the bench. The man looked up at him meekly. Spy gestured towards the bench.

"May I, sir?" He asked. The man narrowed his eyes at him.

"How's the weather treating you, young man?" He asked suspiciously.

"Everything is perfect. Just the way I like it." Spy responded. The man scooted over, allowing Spy to sit beside him. Silence ensued.

"Aren't you going to say something, fool?" The man questioned. "...or did I transform my likeliness into a that of a mere mortal for nothing?" Spy sighed quietly.

"You know what I want to talk about." He said, turning towards the man. "Merasmus, tell me more about what you showed me on the mountain." He stated. Merasmus scoffed.

"Why should I care? As I told you that night, I am planning to leave this mortal realm and move to Hell with Bombinomicon. I will use the souls you gave me to rent out a room in his castle." He rebutted.

"If you did not care, then you would not have agreed to meet with me." Spy pointed out. "Well, aside from the fact that I threatened to tell Soldier where you were going to go if you did not show." Merasmus grimaced at the mention of his past roommate.

"Damn it all…" He mumbled. He knows that Soldier had possession of his arsenal of magical artifacts after he had evicted him from his own castle. With his steely determination and downright stubbornness, even the gates of Hell would have trouble holding back someone the likes of Soldier. Also, he could just sell them all to Bombinomicon and move in with Merasmus again. Either way, Merasmus wasn't about to risk it. He sighed. "Fine. You have my full cooperation…" He looked down. "…and I must admit that I have grown rather fond of this world, Soldier or no Soldier." Spy gave him a fake smile.

"Heartwarming." His expression became serious again. "Now, if you please?" Merasmus nodded.

"Back on the mountain, I have only shown you a small peek into the future, hoping that I could come out of that exchange with an advantage." He confessed. "The truth is, I have been practicing the ability of future sight for a while now, mostly after my first accidental encounter with it while I was running some magical experiments." Spy listened with interest.

"What did you see during the accident?" He asked. Merasmus chuckled emptily.

"What do you think?" He raised his staff and gestured. "Hell on Earth. Demons. The death of mankind." He stared at Spy intently. "In short, everything I showed you back on the peak." Spy stroked his chin, thinking.

"So, you've known about the dark times the future will bring for a while now?" He asked. Merasmus nodded.

"Of course. That is why I've decided to learn how to use future-sight magic." He explained. "Ever since the incident, I have been secretly training. Not even Bombinomicon knows about this, back when he was nothing more than a talking book on my shelf." Merasmus suddenly looked away. "Unfortunately, I...have not gotten very far." A look of discouragement spread across his face. "I cannot see everything yet. All I have managed to wrestle out over my years of training is just a few more glimpses." Spy looked back at him, expressionless.

"Anything helps. Just tell me all you know." He reassured. Merasmus looked back up and cleared his throat.

"If it truly does help, then I suppose I have no choice." He said with a smirk. He cleared his throat and began his explanation.

* * *

The glimpses I have gained are short, but they reveal a lot more than one would think. As it turns out, the future I showed you was but one possible timeline. A timeline where only this so called "Overwatch" organization stood guard against the demons. Through practice, I have discovered how to look into different timelines, where different events unfold. As I have said, my visions are not absolute. Sometimes, I cannot even tell what caused these alternate timelines to even occur in the first place. As I was skimming through timelines, one of them caught my eye in particular. I saw you and your team two hundred years in the future, fighting the demons side-by-side with Overwatch. I do not know how you have all been taken forward in time, so do not ask.

Naturally, my curiosity made me delve deeper into this timeline. Through rigorous training, I have managed to see five events:

One: Overwatch forms an alliance with one of their mortal enemies, Talon.

Two: Demoman unlocks Eyelander's true potential.

Three: The demons take control of select Overwatch and Talon members, making the survivors form a resistance force.

Four: Talon was founded by you under the mantle of "conflict maketh man".

And five: Someone initiates the end of the world by unknowingly unleashing an apocalyptic force.

* * *

Spy stared blankly into space. This was too much information for him to absorb in one sitting. He turned to Merasmus. "I'm sorry, how is this a desirable timeline if the world ends?" He asked, bewildered. Merasmus waggled his finger.

"Nah, ah, ah! I said 'initiate'. This timeline does not guarantee destruction. There is still hope that the world can be saved." He corrected. "In comparison, every other timeline results in the absolute destruction of mankind. This is the only one where oblivion is not guaranteed."

"Alright, but what about this 'Talon' organization?" Spy questioned. "Why do they ally together? Why would I want to get involved with sowing discord within all of mankind? For heaven's sake, I'm more of a neutral hitman than a real spy with an underlying motive! I only care about keeping my multiple bank accounts in the undecuple digits!" He sighed. "I'm just a man in a suit and tie who wants to live off of killing a few people here and there." Merasmus nodded.

"So I take it that you are not happy with your current job?" He asked. Spy chuckled sarcastically.

"If I could travel back in time, I would have rather killed myself than accept that wretched hag's job offer." He spat. "I could earn the same amount of money and live a few years longer on my own." Merasmus raised an eyebrow.

"Even if it means not seeing your son ever again?" Spy's expression hardened at the sound of Merasmus's inquiry. He looked away in discomfort, pausing for a moment.

"Ugh…never mind that." He said dismissively. Merasmus nodded.

"Very well." He responded, still smirking at Spy's discomfort. "Now, about the alliance between Overwatch and Talon… although I could not see the results of their collaboration, I do know that it is crucial." Spy raised an eyebrow.

"How so?" Merasmus looked at him sternly.

"I may not be able to get a straight answer, but I do have enough evidence to formulate a conclusion all on my own." He took a deep breath as he began his explanation. "When the end of the world is initiated, it was out of desperation. Almost as if it was some sort of last-ditch effort made by a cornered beast. The being will capture one specific person and use them somehow to bring out an unspeakable force."

"I think that the being you speak of is Bombinomicon." Spy deduced. "Since he became the devil some time ago, it would make sense that he is the mastermind behind the demonic invasion, seeing how power-hungry he's always been." Merasmus knew too well about what Spy was talking about. From attempting to possess Demoman's eye to taking over Hell, it was always clear that the bomb book had been seeking power, no matter how little the amount.

"Yes, I agree." He said. "However, since Bombinomicon is currently the supreme overlord of Hell, there is nothing we can do about him for now." Merasmus cleared his throat yet again. "Anyways, this proves that Bombinomicon unleashed the end of the world because he was close to getting defeated. This is why I am choosing to believe in this timeline, for it is the only one where I see the demons suffering any sort of loss." Spy nodded, his mind busy processing the information.

"I see…" He paused, still thinking of what to say. "Let's go back a few steps, wizard. About the Overwatch and Talon alliance. I suppose that in order to drive Bombinomicon back, I must take the steps necessary to create Talon myself." He stated.

"That is what fate commands us to do." Merasmus said. "From what I can see, Talon is an organization that believes the human race gets its strength from conflict. Do you think you know how to sow the seeds of chaos into the roots of mankind?" Spy smirked.

"Before I joined the ridiculous battle between RED and BLU, I have been killing important people left and right." He said. "Although I dislike relishing in the ensuing chaos, I believe I can put up with it for the world's sake." Spy pulled out his phone and opened his planner. "Start...Talon...set at tommorow for 10:00 AM." He recited, typing in a blank space. He then tucked his phone back into his suit, ignoring Merasmus's amused glance.

"Well, aren't you an organized mortal." He remarked. Spy stared into the distance, thinking.

"Now that I think about it, it should be easy." Spy said, breaking the silence. "I have the money to do it. I know who to kill and when to kill them to cause the most amount of distress within the world, and I tend to be the one to call the shots on the RED team." He took a deep breath. "Alright. I'll do it. I'll become the most wanted man in the world to save it."

"Aren't you already?" Merasmus asked. Spy chuckled.

"Then I'll make the bounty on my head quadruple in value." He assured. Merasmus gave him a confident look.

"Now that that's settled, let us address the last vision. Demoman and Eyelander." Spy stroked his chin, sarcastically pretending to think.

"Hmm, if only we both knew someone who is good with magical, ghostly artifacts and is proficient enough with said magic to take on twenty-four dangerous mercenaries armed to the teeth all at once?" Merasmus rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Well, don't give me too much credit." He said. "I suppose I could wait two-hundred years and check for any unusual paranormal activity then. It will be a good time to both hone my magical prowess and to spy on Bombinomicon as a roommate." Merasmus stood up wearily from the bench. "Well, that settles all of my worries for now, but we now have much to prepare for." He motioned for Spy to stand as well. "I have much to explain. I think you are trustworthy enough to have the honor to enter my Castle of Eldritch Horror." Spy raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't it a raccoon sanctuary now?" He asked. Merasmus laughed.

"You think I can't deal with a few wild animals?" He reinforced his point by making his staff silently crackle with energy, being careful not to draw attention from bystanders. "My castle is the perfect place to further discuss this matter. We have two-hundred years to plan out." Spy nodded.

"The fate of the world rests in the hands of a second-class wizard and a murderer. Sounds like the beginning of the world's worst movie." He said jokingly. Merasmus chucked at Spy's quip and extended his hand towards him.

"Come. Take my hand so I may initiate the teleport spell." He urged. "By the way, if we are going to start working together from now on, I must know your name." Spy looked up at him, a smirk on his face.

"Ronseau. Chavern Ronseau."

 **200 years later...**

"Hey man. Rent's due. Pay up, buddy." A rather nasal voice suddenly echoed through Merasmus's chambers, snapping him awake. He sighed in frustration.

"Ooh, can you not wait until tomorrow!? I am trying to get some sleep here!" He complained loudly.

"Nah, I like my tenants to be on time." The voice responded. "So do you have the fifty souls or am I gonna have to turn your skull into a diaper?" He laughs, cutting himself off. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding… but you better have that rent or you're outta here, wizard." Merasmus grumbled.

"Ugh...fine." He stumbled out of bed with a yawn and walked over to his closet, opening it wide. He bent down and reached for his soul gargoyle, picking it up and cradling it in his arms. He walked over to the door of his suite and opened it. Beyond the doorway was nothing but pitch black void, extending for as far as the eye can see. Merasmus held the gargoyle up. Within moments, small strands of spectral energy started leaching out of the stone artifact, accompanied by quiet wailing.

"Oh yeah, that's some good stuff there. Hah…" The voice sighed. "Ok wizard. You're in my good... _books_ for the next three months." He laughed again. "Heh, that was a book joke. Ok, have a good one, buddy." Merasmus abruptly slammed the door shut with an annoyed expression on his face. He groggily placed his gargoyle back in his closet and collapsed back onto his bed.

* * *

"How we lookin', boyos?" Bombinomicon asked. His massive figure was sitting atop a towering throne made of solid rock. Before him, his minions were running about, making sure that everything was set for the big day. A single demon materialized before the demonic book.

"We are nearly ready, my lord. Mother says that she needs to make just a few more adjustments to make sure that her powers can control all of Overwatch in one fell swoop." He reported. Bombinomicon laughed giddily.

"Good stuff, good stuff. How 'bout Occisor? How's he doing?" The demon grinned.

"Lord Occisor is ready to activate the Soul Gap. All we are waiting for is Mother's go ahead." Bombinomicon chuckled snidely.

"Women. Always taking their time. Whether it's in the bathroom or just before a massive trans-dimensional invasion..." Suddenly, Mother's voice chimed in.

"My lord! We have a problem!" She yelled desperately. Everyone in the throne room froze in surprise. "Our agent is is trouble! That 'Dell Conagher' is confronting him! He suspects something foul of his comrade!" Bombinomicon gasped.

"How much more time do you need to make those adjustments?" He asked.

"Too much! We are at risk of losing significant amounts of progress! If Dell finds the portal device, he will destroy it for sure!" Panic instantly erupted in the room. Bombinomicon grumbled in frustration.

"Whatever! Do it now! Get Spy to open the portal! We'll deal with any non-possessed Overwatch goon later!" Within moments, a massive gate of light appeared across the throne room. Bominomicon's minions stood still, unsure of what to do.

"Go, you idiots! Move! Charge! Go!" Bombinomicon yelled angrily. The minions all perked up and started to charge into the portal. After a few minutes, the throne room was emptied. Another more sophisticated looking demon teleported before Bombinomicon's throne.

"My lord, the Soul Gap has been completed. Only members of Overwatch and Talon remain on Earth." He said proudly. The good news helped Bombinomicon relax a bit.

"Well, at least something went right today…" His glowing, red eyes shifted over to Occisor and glared at him, sending a shiver down his spine. "I want you to go work with Mother to figure out who got away. I ain't too happy right now so this better be done chop-chop!" Occisor gave a trembling bow in response and left Bombinomicon in his lonesome. He sighed, thinking about what to do next. After several minutes of silent pondering, he started to recite a spell under his breath. Suddenly, RED Spy was teleported before him. He was a trembling mess, his suit torn up and his eyes wide with panic at the sight of Bombinomicon. He yelped and quickly got on his knees.

"S-sir! I-I-I can explain! I was planning to stall for another hour or two, but Engineer had burst in ever so suddenly! Please don't kill me, my lord! You must understand the unpredictability of my situation! You must-"

"Shut it!" Bombinomicon's sharp order silenced RED Spy at once. His red eyes glowered down at him. Bombinomicon cleared his throat. "Gordon Hillsbury. Born in 1957. Charged with two counts of rape, assault, and robbery. Sentenced to 30 years. Died in 1970 in a prison fight." Bombinomicon suddenly started to float on a cushion of spectral energy. He crept towards RED Spy's face menacingly. "Tell me something. Does this person sound like something anyone would want to take in?" RED Spy looked down at his feet, trying to avoid eye contact.

"N-no, sir." He stammered. "...because that person doesn't even hold any value in the devil's eyes. The devil only wants the worst of the worst. If you only partially embrace your dark side, you're just trash." Bombinomicon chuckled.

"Heh, you still remember the lecture I gave you. Good stuff." He floated back onto his throne. "So...Gordon. When the big boss of Hell plucks the soul of a nobody like you out of limbo and hands you over to Mother to possess a very key target, basically placing his entire conquest on your shoulders, what's the last thing you wanna do, eh?" Gordon's breathing quickened as sweat started to drip down his face.

"Erm… f-fail, sir?" He looked up at Bombinomicon pleadingly. A few seconds passed in absolute silence. Suddenly, Bombinomicon burst out laughing.

"Ah ha ha! Man, the look on your face is priceless! I swear, this never gets old! Ooh, good stuff, good stuff." He continued to laugh, much to Gordon's shock. "Eh, come on buddy! Laugh with me! You can't say that you almost pissing your pants isn't some funny stuff, right?" Gordon managed to snap out of his worried trance and let out a few exasperated laughs. Bombinomicon let out a few more giggles before calming down. "Anyways, the point is, I don't blame you. I guess we just all underestimated Dell's big brain!" Gordon immediately kowtowed, tears streaming down his blubbering mess of a face.

"Th-thank you, sir! I will make you beam with pride with my future efforts! I p-promise!" He cried between sobs of relief.

"Yeah, yeah. Imma send you back to Earth now. If you fail me, prepare your mind, body, and (most importantly) soul for an eternity in the box of pointy rocks! Or maybe the pit of rabies. Either way, you're not gonna have a good time!" Bombinomicon warned. With a flip of his pages, he whisked Gordon back to Earth, his face still raw with tears.

* * *

Merasmus was in a panic. He had no idea that Bombinomicon would be starting the invasion so soon. Potion bottles, cards, and other magical artifacts were flying into a large suitcase as Merasmus desperately packed his equipment. Finally, everything he needed was inside the case. He closed the lid and summoned his staff to his hand. He needed to leave as soon as possible.

"Hey wizard guy! You goin' on vacation?" Bombinomicon's voice rang out. Merasmus flinched. He slowly turned around with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Well, you know how it is down here… It's always either too hot or too cold. It does not help that my air conditioner is slightly wonky at me moment as well…" He said as he quietly used magic to set the air conditioner in his room on fire. He gestured towards the blaze. "See? Too hot!" Bombinomicon chuckled.

"Well, I guess I gotta fix that up soon." His tone became serious. "Listen...Merasmus. You've taken care of me for centuries. You've led me to my first possession by bringing Demoman in that night. And now, you've always been on time with the rent." Merasmus listened with surprise. "So as thanks, I'll let you go on a small vacation. I'll even keep your room tidy and fix up your air conditioner free of charge!"

"Really?" Merasmus asked in disbelief. Bombinomicon burst out laughing.

"Nah! I've always fuckin' hated you! Just get outta here! You better bring back some more souls for me! Also, I'm charging you double for the room service and radiator." Merasmus didn't even take time to react to Bombinomicon's snide remarks. With the demon's laughter still in the air, he grabbed his staff and suitcase before bolting out the door, leaping into the void. A portal suddenly cracked to life before him and sucked him in.

Merasmus found himself transported back to Earth, and right where he wanted as well. He stood before his dilapidated Castle of Eldritch Horror. Vines and ivy were sprawled across the castle's stone walls. Raccoons could be seen running in and out of holes in the structure. Even the refrigerator Soldier buried in the front lawn two centuries ago was still there. Merasmus couldn't help but smile with comfort. It was finally time to put the plan into motion.

After a few minutes, Merasmus had fixed up the castle's master bedroom with his spells. He launched a small fireball into the fireplace, illuminating the chamber. With an exasperated sigh, he sat down in his restored velvet armchair and turned on the TV. "Now presenting...biography bash! Welcome to seven straight hours of dramatized autobiographies written by some of history's most celebrated people! Up next: Tom Jones: Hell of a Sex Bomb." Merasmus leaned forward with interest. He figured that he should stay in his castle until he detects an abnormal amount of spectral energy. Once he does, it would mean that the next step of the plan will be underway.

Demoman's training will begin.

* * *

 **I guess that all my work being deleted was a blessing in disguise. Rewriting Chapter 20 really let me think about where I want this story to go. I hope that this chapter can provide some answers. Also, I'm now in college, which means that I will have less time to work on this story. I'm sorry that this chapter took so long.** **As always, please leave a review! I value criticism over praise.**


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